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Jul 31, 2008 5:09 pm US/Central
Man Found Guilty For Death Of FW Police Officer
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The jury has decided the fate of a man accused of killing a Fort Worth police officer. Samuel Lee Hilburn was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the death of Officer Dwayne Freeto.
It took the jury about two and a half hours to come back with a verdict. There was no visible reaction from Hilburn as the judge read the guilty verdict in the courtroom.
Hilburn was drunk on December 17, 2006 when he slammed into the back of Officer Freeto's Crown Victoria.
If the crash would have happened after September of 2007, when tougher laws went into effect for drunk drivers who kill first responders, Hilburn would be facing a possible 90-year maximum sentence. As it stands, the 23-year-old faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
Testimony in the trial began Monday. Hilburns' attorney spent the day trying to discredit evidence that the 23-year-old had a blood-alcohol level two and a half times the legal limit at the time of the fatal crash.
Earlier testimony indicated that Hilburn was driving a Lexus at nearly 100 miles and hour when it slammed into Officer Freeto's patrol car. Freeto died in the fiery wreck.
Freeto had pulled over behind a stranded motorist and had his car's flashing lights on.
"Officer Dwayne Freeto is dead because he refused to leave alone on those streets," said prosecutor Richard Alpert.
The Fort Worth Police Department released the following statement in response to Thursday's verdict:
Samuel Hilburn was found guilty of Intoxication Manslaughter today by the members of the jury. After gut-wrenching testimony from witnesses and after the experts weighed in, the jury determined what we all believed. That Samuel Hilburn chose to drink too much that night. That Hilburn was impaired to the point he was driving a 97-mile per hour deadly weapon. And that it was Samuel Hilburn's choice to drink and drive recklessly which led to Fort Worth Police Officer Dwayne Freeto's death.
"We are deeply saddened to have been reminded of the horrific tragedy that Dwayne and his family suffered through on that cold December night. We will never forget the sacrifice Officer Freeto made in the service of the Fort Worth Police Department and this community. A guilty verdict will not bring Dwayne back, but it will serve as closure for our police family." Chief Patricia Kneblick
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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