An Ohio man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading no contest to DUI manslaughter in a crash that killed an elderly couple in Sarasota County, Florida. Fred Donaldson, 48, had a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit when he ran David and Katherine Henson off Interstate 75 on December 14. The Hensons, both in their 60s, died at the scene after their vehicle struck a tree.
Fred Donaldson pleaded no contest to two counts of DUI manslaughter before a judge sentenced him to 20 years behind bars on Tuesday. The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on Interstate 75 in Sarasota County, where Donaldson was speeding and weaving through traffic. Video from WFLA shows his vehicle striking the passenger side of the Hensons' car, forcing them off the highway into a tree. Paramedics pronounced 69-year-old David Henson and 64-year-old Katherine Henson dead at the scene. Florida Highway Patrol troopers reported Donaldson smelled of alcohol and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. He remained at the scene and asked officers if the couple was okay. When asked to perform field sobriety tests, Donaldson said, 'I can probably do the test, but it doesn't mean I'm right.' He later added, 'I f—ed up, I don't think I need to offer anything. No matter how drunk I am, I f—ed up.' The couple from Pensacola had just returned from a cruise. A victim impact statement described Katherine as a nurse and David as a restaurateur, married nearly 40 years. 'Kathy and Dave lived their lives with a simple but powerful philosophy: Family first,' it said. 'The driver who made the choice to get behind the wheel that day did not just take two lives. He shattered a family.'