A Mercedes-Benz was killed at a speed of almost 160 kilometers per hour. How the driver pays

WEST PALM BEACH – A judge this week sentenced a Riviera Beach man to eight years in prison after the man pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of a golf cart driver on the Blue Heron Boulevard bridge.

Willie Joe Shannon, 59, also pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a one-person crash in the high-speed wreck that killed Troy R. Lowry, then 51, as well as Riviera Beach, in the early morning hours of August. January 16, 2022. Investigators say Shannon’s car was traveling at 100 mph seconds before the wreck.

Shannon entered the pleas on Thursday, October 17, during a hearing at the Palm Beach County Courthouse. Circuit Judge Howard Coates imposed a concurrent eight-year prison sentence on both charges, with Shannon’s prison sentence followed by six years of probation.

Coates also revoked Shannon’s driver’s license for three years, ordered that he complete 200 hours of community service and attend a panel where victims convicted of motor vehicle crimes would talk about the toll accidents have taken on their lives.

The judge credited Shannon with 349 days in Palm Beach County Jail, meaning Shannon has already served nearly a year of his sentence. Shannon faced a minimum prison sentence of 15 years and nine months if the case had gone to trial.

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Assistant State’s Attorney Storm Tropea told the judge that Lowry’s family agreed with the plea but did not want to speak in open court.

At the time of his arrest, Riviera Beach police alleged that Shannon was involved in the bridge collision that killed Lowry shortly before 1:30 a.m. that day. They said he crashed his Mercedes-Benz into the back of a golf cart occupied by Lowry, who was the owner of Get Wet Water Sports at the time.

An examination of Mercedes-Benz airbag control module data showed the vehicle was traveling between 95 and 110 mph in a 55 mph zone at the exact time the crash occurred, the arrest report said. DNA evidence collected from the steering wheel airbag appeared to be a likely match to Shannon, police said.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @JuliusWhigham. Support our work: Subscribe today.

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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Judge sentences driver in fatal high-speed crash on Blue Heron Bridge