Lexington man convicted of reckless homicide, DUI for crash that left motorcyclist dead
The man involved in a crash that left a 25-year-old motorcyclist dead two years ago was convicted Thursday evening by a jury for his role in the accident, though the jury found him guilty of a lesser charge than he originally faced.
Matthew Starling, 33, was found guilty on charges of reckless homicide and driving under the influence, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Brad Bryant and Starling’s attorney, Fred Peters. The reckless homicide charge was amended down from second degree manslaughter, which Starling had originally been charged with after the crash.
Peters said he was disappointed that Starling was found guilty but “the jury deliberations were very long and I am sure they thoroughly looked at the case.”
“The fact that they found him guilty of the lesser included offense of reckless homicide and gave him the minimum punishment of one year makes me realize that the jury also acknowledged that this was truly a tragic accident with devastating losses for all involved,” Peters told the Herald-Leader.
Peters also said he felt Starling is a “good person who made one bad decision that in 10 seconds changed his life forever.”
The recommended sentence for Starling is one year for reckless homicide charge and 30 days for DUI, according to Bryant. Those sentences will run concurrently, according to Bryant. Starling is also not eligible for probation, Peters said. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 22.
Second-degree manslaughter is a Class C felony in Kentucky, which carries a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years. Reckless homicide is a Class D felony in Kentucky, which carries a prison sentence of one to five years. The jury recommended the minimum sentence for Starling.
Starling will be credited for previous time served, Peters said.
Fayette County jail records show that Starling was booked at 12:06 a.m. Friday morning.
The accident occurred on June 8, 2020, when Starling turned in front of 25-year-old Daezon Morgan, who was driving his motorcycle on Richmond Road. During closing arguments Thursday afternoon, Bryant and Peters took opposing sides on whether or not Starling was under the influence at the time of the accident and whether or not that was the main reason it happened.
“This isn’t an accident,” Bryant said. “It happened because this defendant drove impaired.”
Peters argued that it was an accident.
“The Commonwealth submits that that action of (Starling) was either second degree manslaughter or reckless or homicide,” Peters said. “Ladies and gentlemen, we submit that was just an accident.”
Starling’s trial started earlier this week and featured testimony from witnesses and experts who spoke to particular details of the crash.
Starling also took the stand to begin the final day of trial Thursday, expressing sorrow and grief that the accident took place. He also explained how the day, and the crash, unfolded.
“It’s devastating to everybody here,” Starling said in court. “I’m sorry, yes. I’m sorry to every individual that this has affected.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 7:04 AM.
