[Archived] City Resident Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter in Alcohol-Related Pedestrian Fatality

For Immediate Release: April 20, 2017

On April 20, 2017, Kyeshia Arrington, a 25 year-old Alexandria resident, pled guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol for causing the death of Peter Palm, a 62 year-old city resident.

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 the street when he was struck by a vehicle operated by the defendant. A witness driving behind the defendant reported that Mr. Palm was clearly visible in the roadway, yet the defendant did not swerve or attempt to brake before striking Mr. Palm. The defendant initially drove away without stopping to check Mr. Palm’s condition, but she returned to the scene shortly thereafter.

Officers observed that the defendant smelled of alcohol and was visibly intoxicated. A blood draw performed more than four hours after the crash showed that her blood alcohol content at that time was .145% by weight by volume. A forensic toxicologist would have testified at trial that her blood alcohol content at the time she struck Mr. Palm would have been between .18 and .23. Mr. Palm remained hospitalized after the crash and succumbed to his injuries on November 19, 2016.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Jessica Best Smith and Amanda Tassa diligently prosecuted the matter on the behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was investigated by Investigator Jordan Young of the Alexandria Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Team.

The case is scheduled for sentencing on July 13, 2017, in the Circuit Court for the City of Alexandria. The defendant faces a maximum penalty of ten years for the Involuntary Manslaughter offense and one year for the Driving Under the Influence offense. As a result of the Involuntary Manslaughter conviction, her license to drive in the Commonwealth of Virginia will be revoked indefinitely.