Tanner Dashner, guilty of 2018 fiery crash that killed five, gets more prison time

Melissa E. Holsman and Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·4 min read
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FORT PIERCE — Two years after a judge ordered Tanner Dashner to serve 72 years for causing a 2018 fiery crash that left five people dead, he was ordered Wednesday to spend an additional 75 years behind bars, a prosecutor said.

The extra prison time stemmed from five vehicular homicide charges that earlier had been thrown out by Senior Circuit Judge Robert Makemson. Dashner, 26, received 15 years on each count to run consecutively in the proceeding in Makemson's court, Assistant State Attorney Brandon White said Wednesday.

Those are to run consecutive to the 72.5 years to which he had been sentenced in 2022 related to five DUI manslaughter charges, White said.

“I'm not jumping for joy and celebration, because no matter what, it's still a sad day for everyone, including the defendant, his family,” White said. “However, justice required this, and that's ultimately why we did what we did.”

What happened

On Nov. 23, 2018, Dashner, then 21, was driving more than three times the speed limit and under the influence of alcohol on South 25th Street when his GMC Yukon slammed into the back of a Dodge Dakota at Midway Road.

Tanner Dashner
Tanner Dashner

The Dodge, driven by Kedan Tillett, 27, of Fort Pierce, and a BMW in front of it had been stopped at the red light at Midway Road. Dashner didn’t slow down as the Dodge and BMW began to accelerate from a stop after the red light turned green.

Dashner's GMC hit the Dodge, which then crashed into the BMW. The GMC struck the Dodge a second time.

Arrest reports stated the Dodge's gas tank "was compromised and ignited into a fire."

Tillett, and four passengers — Alexis Chaney, 17; Anthony Victor, 21; Anthony Martin, 16, all of Fort Pierce; and Darien Douglas, 21, of Port St. Lucie — all died as the pickup caught fire. A sixth person in the Dodge, 14-year-old Ari'yonnia Stanberry, of Stuart, was pulled out of the truck by a bystander.

FHP investigators reported that Dashner had a blood-alcohol content of 0.274 percent, more than triple the legal limit of 0.08.

In his vehicle, investigators found a bottle of Bacardi Superior rum that was about a quarter full, and an empty bottle of Crown Royal Regal apple flavored whiskey.

Earlier sentencing hearing

Dashner avoided a trial in 2022 by pleading no contest to five counts each of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide and single counts each of driving under the influence with damage to a person and driving under the influence with damage to property.

During an emotional hearing in June 2022 that spanned two days, Makemson announced Dashner would serve a term including 14½ years for each of five DUI manslaughter charges with credit for nearly 1,300 days. The terms were ordered to be consecutive, meaning 72½ years. Dashner got time served on two lesser misdemeanor charges.

Before Makemson imposed Dashner's punishment, his attorney Ashley Minton argued in favor of dismissing the five vehicular homicide counts on grounds of double jeopardy.

The state, which objected to the move, countered in court that Florida case law allows a defendant to be convicted of both DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide for each fatality.

Makemson though, disagreed and threw out the five vehicular homicide counts after Dashner had pleaded no contest, court records show.

State prosecutors appealed and in December, the Fourth District Court of Appeal seated in West Palm Beach, reversed Makemson’s ruling. The appellate court ordered that Dashner be sentenced on the five dismissed counts, which carried a maximum punishment of 15 years for each conviction.

Reached Wednesday, Minton declined to comment.

White, who said Assistant State Attorney Kim Cortez also worked on the case, said the appeals court found Makemson erred by not sentencing Dashner for the vehicular homicide convictions.

“This was necessary, we had to appeal because we have to uphold the law," White said. "The legislature gave us a law, and we had to uphold it.”

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Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at  melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Tanner Dashner gets more prison time for 2018 crash that killed five