Driver in 2014 crash that killed friends’ baby gets 15 months

In May 2014, prosecutors say Thabiti Pierre-Louise was driving drunk when he caused a 2014 crash that killed the 4-month-old daughter of his friends.

This week, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison after the parents of Londyn Johnson spoke to the judge on his behalf.

On Monday, the day his trial was to begin, Pierre-Louise pleaded guilty to felony death by vehicle and a series of other charges. Attorney Justin Olsinski said his 22-year-old client wanted to spare Londyn’s mother, Kayla Davis, from testifying.

On Wednesday, Davis and Londyn’s father, Javone Johnson, spoke in support of Pierre-Louise during his sentencing before Superior Court Judge Forrest Bridges.

“It was more than saying they were all best friends,” Olsinski said. “It was almost like one family.”

Five of the friends and family were together on May 27, 2014. But because of Londyn’s car seat, they all couldn’t fit in the same Nissan Altima for a quick trip home from the pool. Assistant Mecklenburg District Attorney Clayton Jones said the car seat was put in the trunk; the baby sat in her mother’s lap.

According to investigators, Pierre-Louise, the child’s sometimes babysitter, was at the wheel, and his blood alcohol level was an estimated 0.11, above the legal limit of 0.08. Jones said the Nissan had reached at least 77 mph on Old Statesville Road, 30 mph above the speed limit, when he tried to pass another car.

He lost control, and the Nissan slid sideways into a power pole, then flipped, Jones said. Londyn was torn from her mother’s arms and crushed.

The five other people in the car were injured.

Davis, 18 at the time, pleaded guilty last year to felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. She received a suspended sentence of 15-30 months, served 90 days in jail and had to complete a parenting class. She remains on probation.

Olsinski says he was prepared to tell the jury that Pierre-Louise was traveling at no more than 55 mph when he tried to pass the other car and that the blowout of a rear tire had been a major factor in the crash.

The judge sentenced Pierre-Louise to between 64 and 89 months, then suspended the prison term pending the defendant’s successful completion of 36 months of supervised probation – 15 months of which he will serve in custody. Pierre-Louise had to give up his driver’s license, and for the next three years, he can’t drink or drive.

Given the circumstances, his attorney called the sentence “fair.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Driver in 2014 crash that killed friends’ baby gets 15 months."