Drunk driver sentenced to 40 years after crash that killed 4 people

Chiniceia Carter, 37, was sentenced on Oct. 20 to 39.84 years in state prison for the 2021 Sarasota crash that resulted in the death of four men, Florida State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced in an Oct. 20 media release. 

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Carter was driving home from the Hard Rock Casino on the night of July 15, 2021, and was headed south on I-75 in Sarasota. 

“The defendant was drunk, and had a blood-alcohol-content of .161 (more than twice the legal limit). The defendant drove her vehicle off the road, and crashed into a truck and trailer that was stopped on the shoulder due to a flat tire. Four of the men who were standing near the truck and trailer were killed from the impact of the crash,” according to the release. 

Carter was sentenced to 39.84 years in the Department of Corrections for each count, concurrent. Her sentence includes a four-year mandatory minimum. 

“The court found that although the defendant showed remorse for her actions, the ‘utter carnage’ of the crash, coupled with the defendant admitting to drinking alcohol while on pretrial release, were reasons that the court found it inappropriate to grant the defendant a ‘downward departure,’” according to the release.

“The deaths of these four men were absolutely avoidable,” commented Assistant State Attorney Joshua Wertheim, the lead prosecutor in the case. “Too many innocent people, including children and adults, are killed by drunk drivers in Sarasota. As a result of the Defendant’s actions to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car, four young men are now dead. Today, the Court’s sentence is a reflection that our community will hold those drivers accountable.”