The sons of two people killed in a car crash protested, both in formal statements and in shouts from the audience, a plea agreement entered during a Nov. 10 hearing.
Kyle Wooden, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in relation to a high-speed collision on the 2300 block of North Capitol Street, NW on May 31, 2020, which resulted in the deaths of Donald Malloy, 82, and Mattie Young, 79.
In court, the prosecutor said that Wooden was driving at a speed of 92 mph in a 25 mph zone before he saw the victims’ car at the intersection—he braked, but not enough to avoid colliding with them at a high enough speed to total both cars and fatally injure Malloy and Young. According to court documents, after the crash Wooden was witnessed taking beer bottles from the tailgate of his car and smashing them on the road. He was then seen fleeing from the scene of the crash.
As conditions of the plea agreement, the prosecutor agreed to allow Wooden to remain in home confinement until he can be taken directly to a federal prison. She said she would recommend only between six to 14 years in prison, even though, as she noted, the sentencing guidelines have a maximum of 30 years for involuntary manslaughter.
After the plea was entered, three relatives of the victims came forward to ask DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan to reject the plea agreement, saying they were not consulted in the matter and thought the minimum of three years per death was too low.
“I got more time than that and I ain’t kill nobody,” one of Young’s sons said.
Another son of Young said he felt the defendant, who he repeatedly called a “coward” for running away after the crash, was given “an unlimited amount of concessions,” such as the home confinement he’s received for the full two and a half years since he was charged on June 2, 2020.
“They have totally disrespected us,” he added.
Judge Raffinan said she heard their concerns, but she had a jury waiting to come out for a trial in another matter, and she was conscious of time. Had the prosecutor notified her of these statements, she said, the court would have set their schedule differently.
A third victim’s statement came from the son of Malloy, who said the pair were out the night of the incident celebrating Malloy’s birthday.
“He kept a lot of people out of this courtroom,” he said about his father, citing his positive impact in the community.
Judge Raffinan extended sympathy for the victims but said her power to accept or reject pleas is a “very specific role,” and she could not reject the plea over the issues raised.
When scheduling a sentencing hearing, defense attorney John Zucker told Judge Raffinan that a January date would not work for him, suggesting February instead.
Several people in the audience expressed indignance at the further delay. “This is comical,” one man said. As security officers approached him, he stood and announced he was another son of Malloy, growing increasingly agitated.
“I’m tired of this,” he said as he was led out. “I prefer you let him free.”
The man suggested that if he was free, he’d do to Wooden “what he did to my father.”
As the doors of the courtroom closed behind him, the man yelled, “I prefer you let him go!” He could be heard continuing to yell outside the courtroom.
After the parties were excused, Zucker asked the prosecutor if the same people would be allowed to give victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing. “Do we have to address this twice?”
From the audience, a victim advocate said firmly that yes, they would be returning.
The parties are scheduled to return to court on Feb. 10, 2023, for a sentencing hearing.
