American Idol star Caleb Kennedy was sentenced to two years in prison after crashing his pickup truck in South Carolina, killing a married father.
The country music singer, then 17 years old, was driving a 2011 Ford pickup truck northbound on West Murph Road in Spartanburg that slid onto a private road on Feb. 8, 2022.
Larry Duane Parris, 54, was standing outside his home workshop about 12:41 p.m. when Kennedy shot him down, authorities said. The impact took Parris inside the store, where he was found by his daughter, Kelsey. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Kennedy, 20, who retired from the reality show in 2021 following a racism scandal, pleaded guilty on Monday to driving under the influence resulting in death and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine. , which was suspended for eight years and $15,100. , by WSPA.
He will serve three of those eight years in house arrest. You will also receive credit for time served since the accident and your initial arrest.
Kennedy will also have to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling, as well as five years of probation.
American Idol star Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced to two years in prison after crashing his pickup truck in South Carolina, killing a married father.
Kennedy made headlines last year after pulling out of American Idol amid a racism scandal.
Larry Duane Parris, 54, who was a married father, was standing outside his home workshop, where he repairs boats, about 12:41 p.m. when Kennedy shot him down, authorities said. The impact took Parris inside the store, where he was found by his daughter, Kelsey. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
A representative from the Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s office in Spartanburg said US Weekly a guilty plea was reached before the case went to trial.
During a hearing after the arrest, toxicology reports revealed that Kennedy had THC (the active compound in marijuana) and prescribed Prozac in his system at the time of the accident.
Kennedy told officers after the crash that he had taken a “deep drag” from a vaping device and then felt its effects while driving.
In a 911 call, Parris’ daughter can be heard screaming for help, and on the tape Kennedy can be heard saying he was sorry as he held the dying man inside the store, the attorney said.
‘Dad, dad, please! Dad, dad, please!’ the daughter shouts at the call obtained by Fox Carolina.
Kennedy was hospitalized after the accident and received treatment for his injuries.
The singer made headlines in 2021 after withdrawing from American Idol amid a racism scandal, as he was seen in a three-second clip on social media sitting next to a person wearing a white hoodie, who, according to Critics, it appeared to be a Ku Klux Klan hood. .
“Hey everyone, this will be a surprise, but I will no longer be on American Idol,” she wrote in an Instagram post in May 2021.
Authorities said Kennedy drove his truck into Parris’ private drive in Spartanburg and struck him while the man was standing outside his shop.
Kennedy, pictured in court in February 2022, pleaded guilty Monday to driving under the influence resulting in death and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, which was suspended for eight years and $15,100, according to the WSPA.
“There was a video that appeared on the Internet that showed actions that should not be done that way.”
Kennedy said of the three-second video: “I was younger and didn’t think about stocks, but that’s no excuse.”
The film has nothing to do with racism or the Ku Klux Klan and Caleb’s mother, Anita Guy, insisted that the young singer never had a racist bone in his body.
But those explanations didn’t affect online critics who attacked Caleb, claiming he was making “excuses” and demanding he be disqualified from American Idol.
It was unclear if ABC asked him to leave at that time or if he made the decision himself.
Kennedy apologized for the sequence of events and said he hoped to redeem his reputation in the future.
“I want to apologize to all my fans and everyone I’ve let down,” he said.
“I will take some time off social media to improve, but with that being said, I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and caused them to lose respect for me.
‘Very sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect! Thank you for supporting me.’
Kennedy advanced to the Top 5 of American Idol last year, but dropped out after a video circulated of him sitting next to someone wearing what appeared to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.
Kennedy’s relatives said the Snapchat video in question was taken four years ago, when he was 12, the Herald-Journal reported.
His mother, Anita Guy, told the newspaper: “I hate that this happened and how people online portray Caleb.”
‘This video was taken after Caleb watched the movie The Strangers: Prey at Night and they were imitating those characters.
“It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that’s what it seems like.
‘Caleb doesn’t have a racism bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races.