[Archived] City Resident Indicted for Aggravated Vehicular Manslaughter and DUI

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2016

On December 12, 2016, the Grand Jury for the City of Alexandria returned an indictment regarding the death of Peter Palm, a 62 year-old city resident.

Kyeshia Arrington, a 24 year-old Alexandria resident, was charged with Aggravated Vehicular Manslaughter-Felony and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol-Misdemeanor. The charges arose from a collision that occurred on October 8, 2016, in the 200 block of North Henry Street. Mr. Palm was walking across North Henry Street when he was struck by a vehicle operated by the defendant. Mr. Palm remained hospitalized after the crash and succumbed to his injuries on November 19, 2016.

Aggravated Vehicular Manslaughter is a felony offense that carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years of incarceration in prison. DUI is a misdemeanor offense that carries a potential maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and/or a fine of not more than $2500. The driver's license of a person convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter is revoked indefinitely.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter said: "While outstanding progress has been made in the fight against drunk driving, there is still work to be done. Drunk driving is a serious offense that, unfortunately, can cause tragic results. Particularly in this holiday season, citizens should understand that the Alexandria Police Department aggressively enforces our drunk driving laws and my office aggressively prosecutes violations."

Rule 3.6 of the Virginia State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys states, in pertinent part: "A lawyer participating in or associated with the… prosecution … of a criminal matter that may be tried to a jury shall not make or participate in making an extrajudicial statement… that the lawyer knows, or should know, will have a substantial likelihood of interfering with the fairness of a trial by jury." Therefore, the Commonwealth is prohibited from discussing the evidence, its trial strategy or its work product prior to trial or plea in this case.