Vehicular Manslaughter Defendant Likely to Take Plea Deal 

By Tahlia Williams - May 28, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Traffic | Victims |

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland set a plea hearing date for an involuntary manslaughter defendant on May 28. 

Latrell Sanders, 29, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, criminally negligent manslaughter by vehicle or vessel, driving or attempting to drive a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, driving or attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol while transporting a minor, driving or attempting to drive while impaired by alcohol, driving a vehicle on the highway at a speed exceeding the speed limit, unsafe lane changing, failure to control vehicle speed on a highway to avoid collision, reckless driving and failure to drive right of center in an incident that killed 50-year-old Robert Horne on Aug. 13, 2023. 

The prosecutor presented the defense with a plea offer of 15 years, suspending all but eight followed by five years of probation. Defense attorney Mark Sobel had yet to present this deal to Sanders, however he said he “anticipate[d] it being accepted.” 

When released, according to the plea deal, Sanders would require drug and alcohol screening treatment, 50 hours of community service and abstinence from alcohol during probation. 

Sanders is scheduled to plead guilty on June 7 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Y. Ausby. 

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, Horne was standing on the left shoulder of the entrance ramp to I-95 southbound assisting a partially broken down vehicle. Sanders came in at a high speed of 102 miles per hour (mph), rapidly changing lanes and striking the parked vehicle in the rear.

Sanders’ vehicle was redirected to the left shoulder where Horne was standing, striking him at 67 mph and throwing him over the concrete barrier into the water 100 feet below, where he drowned.

Sanders’ medical records showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.25, more than three times over the legal limit.