Manslaughter Defendant Pleads Guilty to Fatal Car Crash For Six Years in Prison

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.

Donate Now

Less than a month before his scheduled trial, defendant David Hanson Jr. opted to plead guilty to manslaughter and drunk driving charges for a fatal accident in April 2023.

The 27-year-old defendant was initially scheduled for a trial on Jan. 6, 2025. However, on Dec. 20, Hanson and his defense attorney, Daniel Mooney, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton to accept a plea agreement from the prosecution.

Hanson pleaded guilty to negligent vehicular manslaughter for a sentence of 10 years, suspending all but six years, and causing a life threatening injury while operating a vehicle under the influence for a suspended three-year sentence to be served consecutively. He must also complete alcohol and drug treatment in addition to having an alcohol restriction on his driver’s license and an ignition interlock installed on any registered vehicles.

Upon his release, Hanson will serve two years of supervised probation.

The prosecution agreed to dismiss the following charges: homicide by vehicle while under the influence, homicide by vehicle while impaired by alcohol, knowingly driving an uninsured vehicle, driving a vehicle on a revoked license and privilege.

On April 16, 2023, Hanson was accused of driving over 100 mph in a 30 mph zone when he hit another vehicle, killing the driver and injuring the passenger. The defendant was also injured, Mooney noted, with a liver laceration, an embolism, a fractured femur and an aneurysm.