A Brazos County jury sentenced a 27 year-old Houston man to ten years in prison for intoxication manslaughter.
According to the district attorney’s office news release, in August of 2019 Nicholas Wuthrich was driving drunk when he struck the victim’s vehicle at 60 miles per hour.
Wuthrich failed field sobriety tests and his blood alcohol level was measured at twice the legal limit.
The victim died the next day from injuries sustained in the crash.
Wuthrich must also pay a $10,000 fine.
News release from the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office:
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Nicholas Wuthrich, of Houston, Texas was sentenced by a jury in the 272nd District Court to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The same jury convicted the defend-ant of Intoxication Manslaughter last Friday, and also determined that a deadly weapon was used during commission of this crime: namely, the defendant’s truck.
On August 22, 2019, police responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle crash on 2818 near F & B Road at 2:30am. Harold Moore, the victim in the crash, was transported to St. Joe’s Hospital but died the next day as a result of his injuries. He was sur-rounded by family and friends.
The defendant began the night of August 22, 2019 when he arrived at Northgate at 11:30pm. While at Northgate, the defendant visited four bars and consumed 12 hard alcoholic beverages, in a period of approximately three hours. The defendant was seen on video at 2:12am leaving the last bar after and heading toward his truck. Moments later, the defendant turned right onto Farm to Market 2818 and began accelerating for more than 800 feet, striking the back of Harold Moore’s vehicle at 60 miles per hour. The defendant did not apply his brakes or do anything to avoid slamming into the back of Mr. Moore’s vehicle.
CSPD Sgt. Joshua Street responded to the scene of the crash and performed field sobriety tests on the defendant. After the de-fendant’s failure of the field sobriety tests, a war-rant for his blood was ob-tained. A blood alcohol analysis showed that he was .160 four hours after the crash. Experts testified he was at least a .160 at the time of the crash, which is twice the legal limit.
During punishment, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendant had prior training by the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission about the effects of alcohol on the body, the levels of intoxication based on the number of drinks and the risk of being involved in a fatality crash after drinking. He was arrested in 2016 by College Station PD for actions he took while intoxicated.
This case was a collaborative effort with College Station Police Department, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, Bryan Fire Department, College Station Fire Department, DPS Crime Lab and the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office.