Jim Leyritz, Ex-Yankee, Acquitted of DUI Manslaughter Charges

Filed under: Yankees

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A jury in Florida on Saturday acquitted former major league baseball player Jim Leyritz of DUI manslaughter in a 2007 crash that killed a mother of two.

However, Leyritz was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Leyritz had faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge.

Testimony was inconclusive on whether Leyritz ran a red light on Dec. 28, 2007, when he collided with a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch, who died.

Defense experts testified that Leyritz may have been below Florida's 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level when the crash occurred, even though it was 0.14 percent three hours later.

Leyritz played 11 major league seasons, hitting a memorable World Series home run for the New York Yankees in 1996.

The crash happened after Leyritz had been out at local nightspots celebrating his birthday. Veitch, who had gone out to other bars after work, was also drunk with a blood-alcohol level twice Florida's limit, according to trial testimony.

Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/11/20/jim-leyritz-ex-yankee-acquitted-of-dui-manslaughter-charges/

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