Man accused of killing teenage siblings in a car crash pleads guilty days before trial
A man who stands accused of killing two teenage siblings has pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter just one week before he was scheduled to stand trial.
Zachary Smith, a 31-year-old Lexington resident, was scheduled to appear for a three-day jury trial next week for two charges of second-degree manslaughter, operating on a suspended and revoked license, an aggravated charge of operating a vehicle under the influence, not having registration plates and failing to maintain insurance.
Smith accepted a plea deal Monday that would result in a prison sentence of more than 15 years if the recommended sentence is accepted by Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Travis. Both counts of second-degree manslaughter would carry a sentence of seven-and-a-half years each, to run consecutively, according to court testimony.
The other counts combined carry a sentenced of nearly seven months in prison. Smith would also have to pay restitution, but the amount would be determined later.
Smith is charged with killing 16-year-old Hailey Smith and her brother, 19-year-old Andrew Smith, in a 2021 car crash. Zachary Smith and the siblings share no relation.
The crash happened on Jan. 9, 2021. Smith was driving a Ford Explorer inbound on Athens Boonesboro Road around 7 p.m. when he crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Mazda Protégé near Blue Sky Parkway, according to police.
On Monday, Smith said in court that he does not have recollection of the incident and it was a “long time ago.”
“I just remember dropping my phone, and I looked up and saw headlights,” Smith told the court.
The siblings’ mother, Brandy Workman, said the two were on their way to Workman’s house to celebrate Andrew Smith’s birthday when the crash happened. Hailey Smith left behind a one-year-old daughter named Zoey.
Smith’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
