A defendant in a fatal DUI case pleaded guilty before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller on Dec. 12.
Jabari A. Belizairo, 28, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle and knowingly driving an uninsured vehicle after driving under the influence. He faces the maximum sentence of 10 years suspending all but four years with three years of probation, along with 50 hours of community service and a consecutive year for the latter count.
According to court documents, Belizairo was under the influence of alcohol with an estimated blood alcohol content of 0.183 when he ran a red light on the 1800 block of West Pratt Street. Shortly after 3 a.m., Belizairo, who was going over 81 miles-per-hour in a 30 miles-per-hour zone, crashed his 2018 BMW 540i into Ericka Allysia McRae’s 2004 Cadillac CTS. McRae was taken to the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes after the crash.
Unhappy with Belizairo’s sentence, members of McRae’s family were allowed to speak at the hearing. McRae’s daughter, Raven Davis, said it was unfair that Belizairo “gets to start his life over” after completing his sentence.
“We still had time we wanted to spend together, things we wanted to do,” Davis said about McRae. She also grieved that McRae would never meet her future grandchildren.
As Belizairo’s defense attorney, Tony Garcia, was unavailable for the hearing, the stand-in attorney requested a delayed disposition.
Belizairo will return to court on Jan. 13, 2025.
