A California judge sentenced a former Marine to 11 years in prison Friday after he killed three fellow servicemen in a drink driving car crash.
Jared Ray Hale, 28, was convicted Dec. 10 of one felony count each of driving under the influence, causing bodily injury and driving with a blood-alcohol limit of .08 percent or more causing bodily injury, according to the L.A. Times.
On Feb. 12, 2012, Hale crashed his car into a tree near the Golden Lantern after a night of drinking at Hennessey's Tavern in Dana Point, Calif. Hale was not conscious in the crash and was treated for brain trauma and a fractured arm. His friends and fellow Marines, Jeremiah Callahan, 23, of Nebraska, Christopher Arzola, 21, of Massachusetts, and Jason Chleborad, 22, of South Dakota, died.
Prosecutors said Hale was the designated driver when he went out drinking with his friends, ABC7 News reported. He denied drinking that night, but authorities said his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he crashed the car.
The prosecution had the court listen to statements from the victims family members. One of the statements said Hale failed his fellow Marines.
"Jason's injuries were so horrific the autopsy report listed him as being 6 foot 2 inches on the cadaver table," one statement from Chleborad's family said. "He was 6 foot 8 alive. Mr. Hale failed his fellow Marines that night in epic proportions."
Hale's defense attorney said that Hale was "self-medicating" with alcohol to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the heavy casualties his unit suffered when he served in Afghanistan. His defense asked for a shorter jail period and treatment for PTSD. The judge ruled that Hale had not taken responsibility for his actions and took advantage of his position of trust and thus the sentencing stood.
