DUI Murder Sentencing Results In Emotional Courtroom Reaction

by WAKA Action 8 News

A Montgomery man convicted of a DUI murder now knows his fate. Alabama News Network was the only station there to see the emotional moment when the defendant apologized to the victim’s family.

20 years — that’s the sentence Kevin Crosskey got for drinking and driving, a bad decision that claimed the life of 25-year-old Ashley Mock.
    
Emotions ran high from family members of Mock and Crosskey.

While Crosskey was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Reckless Murder and Assault, he’ll  serve 5 years and as little as 2 years. The rest of his sentence will depend on whether he complies with his probation.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom — but we were there as Crosskey apologized to Mock’s family saying,  “I’m sorry. My heart is so sorry.”

“And when I looked over there and he was crying, you know… I don’t know where it came from… but just the desire to hug him and to tell him that it’s okay and I forgive him,” Said Kay Mock, Ashley’s mother.

Prosecutors were surprised by Crosskey’s emotional apology. And while Mock’s mother is forgiving, Mock’s then boyfriend — who survived the crash — says it isn’t enough to erase what happened that October night on Yarborrough Street.

“I’ve had nightmares, you know,” Said Jeremy Gaines. “It’s a lot when you see somebody die right in front of you.”

Crosskey’s family did not want to speak on camera but said he had never been in trouble with the law before and was a family man with a job.

“He was off work. I mean it was his first vacation, and he just had some drinks. And one event lead to another and this unfortunate incident occurred,” Said Virgil FOrd, Crosskey’s attorney.

And the results of what happened is the message both families want to get out. They hope others can learn to drink responsibly so that they don’t face the same heart-aches.

The judge told Crosskey he’ll review his case in two years. Depending on his behavior in prison, the judge says he may get out early, but Mock’s family says two years isn’t enough time behind bars.