DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A 45-year-old man has learn his fate after he was found guilty of causing an accident that claimed the lives of two people.
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On Thursday, a Douglas County jury found Kristopher Graf, 45, guilty of multiple charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
A judge sentenced him to 20 years to serve in confinement, followed by four years on probation.
The conviction stems from a multi-vehicle crash in January 2022 on Interstate 20 near exit 37. Georgia State Patrol and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash.
According to court documents, Graf and his wife, Stacy Edwards, were returning home from a night out in Atlanta. Edwards was driving while Graf was in the passenger seat.
Officials said both had been drinking to the point of becoming drunk when they began arguing. Edwards told police that while they were arguing, her husband flung himself from the car while she was driving on I-20 westbound at around 80 miles per hour.
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Graf landed in the middle of the interstate, but suffered multiple injuries. Authorities said a semi-truck traveling in the middle lane swerved to avoid hitting Graf who was still lying on the road.
As the semi-truck tried to move to the emergency lane, a passenger van carrying five people hit the back of the semi-truck. This caused the van to spin out of control, ejecting two people from the van.
The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said the impact was so drastic, the driver of the van, his left leg had to be amputated due to the severity of his injuries.
One of the passengers ejected from the van was pronounced dead on the scene. Another passenger in the van died at the scene.
A third passenger who was inside the van was severely injured. The second passenger who was ejected from the van onto the roadway did not sustain any physical injuries. The driver of the semi-truck did not sustain any physical injuries, the DA said.
None of the victims’ ages and identities were released.
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Edwards told Douglas County deputies that she and Graf had been drinking while at the event and that Graf had been drinking at their home before going to the event.
Edwards was arrested on suspicion of DUI. A blood alcohol test later confirmed that she had a BAC of .174, which is two times higher than the legal limit of .08. She pled guilty to the charge of DUI and was sentenced to a year on probation with the first 24 hours in confinement.
Graf was taken to the hospital for his injuries and was later arrested on grand jury warrants.
“The absurd recklessness demonstrated by these defendants resulted in a chain reaction that took and altered numerous lives that day. While this verdict will not bring back the lives lost or heal the life altering injuries caused, we hope that the jury’s finding will help on their journey to find peace and healing,” District Attorney Dalia Racine said.
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