A Dale City man was sentenced Thursday to serve two years and 11 months in prison for a fatal car crash in the Lake Ridge area.
Devon Marshall Thomas, 20, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence and driving without a license for the July 6, 2008 crash that killed 19-year-old Mohammad Abdur Rehman, a passenger in his car.
He was sentenced in Prince William Circuit Court on Thursday to a total of 11 years and six months in prison, with eight years and seven months suspended.
Police said that Thomas, of the 13400 block of Hillendale Drive in Dale City, drove across the double yellow lines in the 12700 block of Old Bridge Lane shortly after 9 p.m.
According to court documents, Thomas overcorrected after going around a curve and “skidded off the highway and across a grassy area, crashing into trees.”
Rehman, who was in the car’s rear passenger seat and was not wearing a seatbelt,was “ejected partially out of the vehicle, striking his head against a tree,” according to the court documents.
He was flown to Fairfax Inova Hospital, where he later died of head injuries.
A 19-year-old man in the front passenger seat received slight injuries in the crash, the court documents state.
Police said Thomas initially left the scene of the accident and returned 10 to 15 minutes later.
He told police he left to get the owner of the vehicle he was driving, who lived nearby.
At the time of the accident, Thomas’ blood alcohol content was 0.09, over the legal limit of 0.08, police said Thursday.
Thomas did not have a driver’s license.
At an April plea hearing, Thomas said he pleaded guilty because he wanted to take responsibility for the accident.
“I am remorseful for my friend’s death. I just wanted to own up to my actions,” Thomas said in April.
In addition to the prison time, Thomas was sentenced to serve 10 years probation.
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.
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