American Idol alum Caleb Kennedy pleads guilty to DUI charge and gets 25-year sentence reduced to 8 — Details explored
Former American Idol star Caleb Kennedy pleaded guilty to a DUI (driving under the influence) charge from 2022 on Monday, November 18, 2024. The singer pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in a death charge. His initial 25-year prison sentence was reduced to eight years with 5 years of probation.
In February 2022, Kennedy was driving his Ford pickup truck while allegedly being under the influence of marijuana from a vape pen. He was on his way to meet his girlfriend when his car went off the road and hit a garage where Larry Duane was working. Duane, a 54-year-old father was pronounced dead at a local hospital a few hours after the crash.
The singer was 17 years old when the accident took place in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is worth noting that Kennedy's case was set to go to trial before he pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Caleb Kennedy's DUI led to the death of a 54-year-old South Carolina man
According to the 7th Circuit, Spartanburg County solicitor's office, Caleb Kennedy pleaded guilty to a felony DUI resulting in a death charge on Monday, Greenville News reported. The former American Idol contestant was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine.
However, after he pleaded guilty, the sentence was later reduced to eight years and a $15,100 fine. The singer received a three-year credit for time served and three years of the sentence will be served on home detention. Kennedy's sentence also included a five-year probation and mandatory mental health and substance abuse counseling.
In February 2022, Caleb Kennedy was 17 years old and heading to his girlfriend's place in Union, South Carolina. He was driving on Southport Road when his car went nearly 175 yards off the path onto West Murph Road in Pacolet. According to warrants cited by Greenville News, the singer eventually crashed into Larry Duane Parris's driveway.
Parris was talking on the phone when he was struck by Kennedy's Ford F-150 truck. The 54-year-old resident was taken to the hospital and passed away three hours after the crash. Larry Duane Parris' obituary revealed that he was a member of the New Beginnings Church and founded the Parris Construction Company.
Fox Carolina reported at the time that Caleb Kennedy's Prozac prescription had just been increased. Greenville News cited warrants that alleged Kennedy was under the influence of a marijuana vape pen.
During a virtual hearing for the case in February, Parris' family including his wife Donna and daughter Kelsi pleaded to deny Kennedy a bond. The State quoted Kelsi saying that she saw her father "laying in his own shop, moaning and groaning." She added that a stranger was standing near her father but they didn't call 911.
"He killed my dad, point-blank. I wish I could pay a little bit of money or a lot of money to have my daddy back," Kelsey was quoted saying.
People Magazine quoted the prosecutor Solicitor Barry J. Barnette, saying at the time of the sentencing that the case showed "the dangers of vape pens."
Caleb Kennedy's attorney Ryan Beasley thought this was a fair sentencing despite Parris' family wanting Kennedy to all 25 years in prison, according to Greenville News. Beasly noted that Kennedy had no previous record and was a minor when the incident took place.
The attorney claimed that Caleb Kennedy's case was not "such an egregious act" that was seen most of the time. He saw his client's actions as a result of "a weird reaction" to his prescription medication and "possibly THC". He told the publication that he felt bad for the Parris family as a "very good person" died.
"Caleb's very remorseful and his heartfelt sympathies are extended to the Parris family. This sentencing starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation," the attorney said.
Caleb Kennedy rose to fame while competing in American Idol in 2021. He made it to the top five but chose to leave the competition after a Snapchat post of him sitting beside a person wearing what looked like a Ku Klux Klan hood went viral.
Kennedy later apologized for the video which was taken when he was 12. Greenville News reported that the singer's mother claimed that him and his friends were portraying characters from The Strangers: Prey at Night, which they had seen earlier.
