CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. — An Ohio man has been sentenced to prison after causing an accident while impaired that left a Huntington teenager dead.
Joshua Wilson, 23, of Middleport, Ohio, was sentenced to between three and 15 years for DUI causing death and between two and 10 years for DUI causing serious bodily injury. Wilson struck and killed Braxton McComas, 17, of Huntington, on July 4 in Barboursville.
Joshua Wilson (WVDCR)
Wilson admitted to driving drunk at around 9 p.m. on July 4 when he went through a red light, striking McComas’ vehicle at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and David Creek Road.
McComas, who was the driver of the vehicle, died just over a month before he was set to begin his senior year at Cabell Midland High School. McComas also had a teenage friend in the vehicle who was seriously injured.
Cabell County Prosecutor Jason Spears says he thinks Wilson’s punishment was a bit light.
“Do I think that a 3-15-year prison sentence is appropriate for someone that caused the death of someone maliciously like this? That’s something for the legislature to take a look at,” Spears said. “I’m not so sure that I think that’s enough.”
While looking at the case after the accident, Spears attempted to learn what kind of person McComas was, saying that the upcoming senior was an “amazing young man.
Braxton McComas
“Spears says emotional hearings like this reminds him how real and heartbreaking the cases are for the affected loved ones.
“It brings home every day what we do. In this business, we have case after case after case, and it’s very easy to just see the documents, but when you hear the families speak at how their lives have been changed, it’s horrible, just based on the decisions Josh Wilson made that day.”
Spears does say that Wilson took responsibility from the beginning stages of the case.
“From the very beginning of this case, he’s pretty much accepted responsibility for it,” Spears said. “Hopefully if anything good comes from this, you can’t go back and take back what happened, but if this changes his life for the better, and it happens to mean he has to be in prison for a long time to do it to make a positive impact, then maybe that will happen.”
The death of McComas has brought pain and sorrow since the summer, but Spears says Wednesday’s hearing did bring a graceful moment.
“I witnessed it afterwards, I witnessed one of the family members tell Joshua (Wilson) as he’s going off to prison that she’s praying for him and hopes he does okay,” Spears said. “That tells you both the tragic nature of this case but also the integrity of the people.”
Spears also says more love and grace was shown in previous hearings.
“Outside the first hearing, I saw Braxton’s (McComas) grandmother hugging the defendant. You don’t see that in a lot of cases,” Spears said. “That shows the true love and respect of that.”
Wilson’s two sentences will run consecutively.