Tyler S. Hurley, 22, of Port Republic, Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to a prison term of 36 months (3 years) for Voluntary Manslaughter, stemming from a traffic collision where he ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, killing the driver, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Gregory Monahan, Acting Chief of the United States Park Police (USPP).
Hurley pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter on August 12, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed upon sentence totaling 36 months. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Hurley will be placed on 5 five years of supervised release.
The fatal traffic collision occurred on Sunday, December 23, 2018, at approximately 12:27 a.m., at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 19th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. The investigation by U.S. Park Police found that Hurley, who had come to Washington with a group of family and friends, was returning to Southern Maryland, when he was driving a 2014 Honda Civic southbound on 19th Street approaching the intersection with Constitution Avenue, where 19th Street dead ends. Hurley ran the red light at the intersection with Constitution Avenue, and struck an eastbound 2012 Honda Accord being driven by Kunal Talwar. Mr. Talwar’s Accord was crushed between Hurley’s striking Civic and a tree. Mr. Talwar later died from his injuries at George Washington University Hospital.
When officers arrived, a companion of Hurley falsely claimed to be the driver of the striking vehicle. Later, when told that the crash resulted in the death of Mr. Talwar, that person recanted and told officers that Hurley was the driver. Hurley was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, along with other occupants of his Civic, for injuries. Hurley was asked about the crash and admitted to being the driver of the striking Civic. Hurley displayed some signs of impairment, but officers were unable to determine if he was intoxicated.
Approximately 4 hours after the crash, Hurley’s blood was drawn and his blood alcohol concentration was 0.04 g/ml, which is less than the 0.08 g/ml concentration that is definitive evidence of driving under the influence in the District of Columbia.
A download of the black box of Hurley’s Civic later showed that he was driving at 73 miles per hour in the 25-mile-per-hour zone, when he ran the red light and struck Mr. Talwar’s Accord. Hurley was later arrested and charged with causing Mr. Talwar’s death.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Chief Monahan commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from the United States Park Police, as well as officers and detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Investigations Unit.
They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.
All photos are courtesy of the DC Fire and EMS Twitter. https://twitter.com/dcfireems
