MONCKS CORNER — Nearly six years after a Cross man killed a motorcyclist while driving drunk, a judge imposed the minimum sentence possible, one year in prison, May 6.
Frederick Washington pleaded guilty in Berkeley County Circuit Court to felony driving under the influence resulting in a death. Outgoing Circuit Court Judge Bentley Price sentenced Washington to one year incarceration followed by nine years on probation. The charge Washington faced carried a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum of 25 years.
The family of Daniel Coy left the courthouse May 6 feeling like Washington evaded justice for Coy’s death. It was a crime that was “100 percent preventable,” said Doretta McHugh, Coy’s mother.
“There is no justice for victims of drunk driving accidents,” McHugh said.
Washington killed Coy, a 36-year-old Summerville resident, while driving under the influence of alcohol in the early hours of Sept. 29, 2018. Washington was stopped at a red light when he initiated an illegal left turn and crashed into Coy, who was on a motorcycle. Washington, smelling of alcohol with bloodshot eyes, refused field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. The South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene at the intersection of U.S. Highway 17A and Sigma Drive in Summerville. Hours after his arrest, authorities took a blood sample that indicated his blood alcohol content was 0.156 — nearly twice the legal limit.
Washington spent one night in jail after the crash.
Coy was alert and awake following the accident but later died at Trident Medical Center from internal injuries, Ninth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Benjamin Dennis said in court. Coy was not wearing a helmet, but the injuries that killed him were not inside his brain, Dennis said. South Carolina law only requires motorcyclists younger than 21 to wear helmets.
Dennis asked Price to sentence Washington to 12 years in prison. Washington’s attorney, Chris Murphy, asked for the minimum of one year in prison. Murphy represents Dorchester County in the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Murphy said trace amounts of alcohol and THC were found in Coy’s blood. Coy was below the legal drinking limit, Dennis countered.
McHugh said she and her family were in disbelief at Price’s decision.
“Judge Price has a reputation for being lenient with criminals,” McHugh said. “This man killed my son.”
Murphy defended Price’s decision as fair in balancing the facts of the case. Washington had no prior criminal record or history of alcohol abuse, he said. Washington went into the plea hearing with no guarantees of a lighter sentence, he said. Murphy said the 2018 crash destroyed two families and that Washington’s own actions and decisions have weighed heavily on him.
“I think he receives a lot of unfair criticism,” Murphy said of Price.
McHugh said Murphy’s status as a lawyer legislator caused the nearly six-year delay in bringing the case to the end. She also said the COVID-19 pandemic also played a role.
Murphy said he did not exercise his lawyer legislator exemptions to delay court proceedings. Rather, he said, delays came from the pandemic and changes in prosecutors. Three different prosecutors were assigned to the case, one of whom died suddenly.
‘Do the right thing’
Coy was more than a night auditor at SpringHill Suites in North Charleston, McHugh and her family told the court. He was someone who read frequently and deeply. And loved all music — hip-hop, heavy metal, jazz or opera.
McHugh, who lives a mile from the scene of the crash, said the family converted the bedroom of the budding author into a memorial library of books and music.
Coy was McHugh’s confidante and best friend. They spent every morning on the front porch solving the world’s problems over coffee, she said. He was someone everyone could rely on. McHugh said he never lived to meet the grandchildren born to his sister and best friend.
“We miss having that life and force in our house,” she said.
McHugh carried a photo of her son large enough that Price could see from several feet away on the bench.
“Do the right thing,” McHugh told the judge.
As Coy’s family addressed Price, Washington’s head hung low and his eyes stared at nowhere in particular. His chest rising in occasional, heavy breaths. He began crying when his family and friends asked the judge to show mercy.
Murphy said Washington was the son of a well-known brick mason in Berkeley County, a college football player who rose to become a prominent construction contractor in the area. He was known to volunteer with senior citizens and repair their homes for free, he said.
“He’s always expressed his extreme remorse and regret,” Murphy said.
Washington paused when it was his turn to address Price. He said he thinks of Coy’s family every day and every night.
“I honestly wish most days that we could trade places — that I could trade places with Mr. Coy,” said Washington.
Outside the courthouse, McHugh told reporters she did not accept his apology. She said she will never recover from the death of her son.
“He’s not sorry,” she said. “He’s sorry for himself.”
