Eagle man, driving drunk when he killed woman, earned retrial. Jury returned same verdict
An Eagle man whose light sentence drew national attention after a felony vehicular manslaughter conviction in 2018 has been found guilty of the crime a second time.
Adam Paulson, 47, was convicted by a jury Tuesday after a five-day trial in 4th District Court, according to a news release from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office. He was being retried after the Idaho Supreme Court overturned his first conviction last year because of improper jury instructions, with justices saying the panel was not informed of key details in the case.
Paulson was driving drunk in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on Nov. 18, 2017, when he hit and killed Madeline Duskey, 24, at the intersection of Eagle Road and Riverside Drive in Eagle. His blood alcohol content, according to evidence presented during both trials, was .213% — nearly three times the legal limit — when he struck Duskey, who was in the crosswalk going across Eagle Road.
Paulson was found guilty at trial in November 2018, and in January 2019 a judge sentenced him to time served and 15 years of probation, drawing the ire of advocacy groups like MADD.
He will be sentenced on the new conviction on March 17 by District Judge Derrick O’Neill.
“Thank you to Ms. Duskey’s family and friends who showed great patience and strength while trusting the system throughout the trial for a second time,” Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said in the release Wednesday. “Thank you to the jurors for your time and attention during this trial. And finally, thank you to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office and the Boise Police Department for their investigations on this case.”
At the first trial, prosecutors had asked that Paulson serve at least five years in prison before being eligible for parole.
Instead, 4th District Court Judge Deborah Bail imposed a 15-year prison sentence, according to previous Statesman reporting, with five years fixed, but suspended that sentence and placed him on supervised probation for 15 years. She also ordered him to spend 14 months in jail, but gave him credit for the 14 months he had served since his arrest.
Paulson’s probation came with myriad stipulations, including that he pay child support for Duskey’s two children; wear an alcohol monitor until further notice of court; reside in a sober living facility; perform 500 hours of community service; and not drive a vehicle “for any reason whatsoever.”
Paulson wound up in prison after he intentionally tampered with the alcohol-monitoring device. Bail imposed Paulson’s underlying 15-year prison sentence, with five years fixed, but his successful appeal ended that and set up the second trial.
The maximum penalty for felony vehicular manslaughter is 15 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine, according to Idaho law.
