Abilene driver sentenced to 10 years for intoxicated manslaughter in 2019 crash

A drunken driver whose passenger was killed in 2019 in a high-speed crash in west Abilene was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.

At the start of the sentencing hearing in 42nd District Court, Kevin Wayne Holt entered an open plea of guilty to a charge of intoxicated manslaughter. Judge James Eidson heard testimony from the prosecution and defense before handing down the sentence.

Holt, then 32, was driving a 2002 pickup truck east on U.S. Highway 80 at about 3:30 a.m. Nov. 12, 2019, when it struck a concrete barrier near Fulwiler Road, according to a previous Abilene police news release.

Joshua Evans Sanders, 35, of Redding, Calif. was buckled into the passenger's seat, which was ejected from the vehicle upon impact, according to a court document. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Holt had to be removed from the vehicle through the back window by first responders, the document said. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of severe injuries.

Data from the vehicle indicated the truck was traveling 81 mph in a 55-mph speed zone at the time of the crash.

Investigators learned that the two men had been at an adult entertainment business in Tye prior to the crash. Medical records indicate that shortly after the crash, Holt had a blood alcohol level at 0.198, more than double the legal limit, the document said.

Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News.  If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com. 

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene man sentenced to 10 years for 2019 crash that killed passenger