Man pleads guilty in 2021 crash that killed sleeping woman at apartment
While sitting in a New Hanover courtroom behind the district attorney and defense, several family members of Kelley Prince cried uncontrollably during a plea hearing for a man who crashed into an apartment building while she was sleeping in a bedroom with her fiancé.
On Monday, 24-year-old Walter Wade Ange pleaded guilty to numerous charges for the incident from December 2021. Judge R. Kent Harrell sentenced the man from Wilmington to serve close to six years in prison. When Ange is released, he will on supervised probation for four years.
Harrell also ordered Ange to serve two nights in jail each year on the anniversary of Prince's death during the probation period.
During the hearing, friends and family of Prince presented victim impact statements. Her sister, Stacy Clayton, spoke on behalf of her deceased sister and their mother, Anna Clayton, who passed away before the trial. She said it's like Groundhog Day reliving the tragedy.
"My entire existence has been altered," Clayton said.
Clayton also spoke about their mother's illness, plans to provide care together, and being the older sister.
"It really tears me apart that I couldn't protect her this time," she said.
According to a news release from District Attorney Ben David and information from witnesses presented by Assistant District Attorney Kristi Severo during the hearing, it was determined that Ange was impaired at the time of the incident because of his behavior.
He was convicted of felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle, felony hit and run causing death, felony hit and run causing injury, reckless driving to endanger, and failure to stop at a stop sign.
During the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2021, Ange failed to stop at a stop sign while driving through the Hawthorne Commons apartment complex in the 4900 block of Tarheel Court.
He drove his vehicle into a nearby apartment building and entered the bedroom. Prince, 48 at the time, and her fiancé Luis Rodriguez were asleep in their bed. The impact of the crash pinned Prince between her bed and the vehicle. Bystanders, including students from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, tried to assist the couple by removing debris.
She was initially conscious after the crash but died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Rodriguez also sustained injuries as a result of the crash. During the hearing, he said it required him to get physical therapy for more than a year and how he lost a job because of it.
Previous coverage: Update: Woman dies after car collides with her Wilmington apartment home, driver arrested
Ange ran and left his dog at the scene.
"He looked and knew that he struck two human beings and decided to flee on foot," Severo said.
Wilmington Police Department's Traffic Unit investigated and identified Ange as a suspect, but they didn't find him immediately. He was apprehended a few days later. During the hearing, Severo said a number on the dog collar helped with the search.
Prior to the crash, Severo told the judge that witnesses saw Ange at establishments in Wrightsville Beach, where he was asked about getting a ride home. Surveillance also captured him leaving several places in the area. Severo also reported that correspondence from jail said that Ange went to an ATM to get money to buy cocaine and didn't show remorse while talking to a podmate about the crimes.
According to her obituary, Prince was born in New York and grew up in Levittown, New York. She later came to South Carolina, where she raised her two sons. She worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years. Prince moved to Wilmington in 2018 and worked at a treatment clinic for people recovering from addiction.
While giving the sentence and giving condolences to the family, Harrell said it was ironic that she dedicated her life to helping people with substance abuse issues.
After talking about how Prince was always one of his biggest supporters during accomplishments, her nephew Clayton Hucks brought up that aspect as well. Her son, Michael Clayton said his mom was his best friend. He wanted to say more but couldn't hold back tears.
"Remember Kelley and her life that you took so tragically because of the poor choices you made," Rodriguez said about the love of his life.
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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Man pleads guilty in 2021 crash that killed sleeping woman
