A Norfolk man was convicted of aggravated involuntary vehicular manslaughter on Monday in connection with a 2021 crash that killed his girlfriend.
According to court documents and testimony, Jonathan Brownell, 35, had been drunk driving when he crashed his car on Interstate 64 on Sept. 21, 2021, killing his girlfriend, Samantha Leigh Sims.
Brownell was driving on I-64 near Granby Street around 2:30 a.m. when he sped through a construction zone and narrowly avoided hitting workers.
Brownell swerved and crashed into a stationary street sweeper truck, killing Sims, 23, instantly.
According to the car’s airbag control module, Brownell was driving between 95 and 103 miles per hour seconds before impact. The car was pinned under the street sweeper truck, and emergency personnel had to cut open the vehicle to extract Brownell from the driver’s seat.
Virginia State Police noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the inside of the vehicle and, when Brownell was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, he was observed to have watery, glassy, and bloodshot eyes.
Brownell’s blood was drawn about an hour following the crash, and his blood alcohol content was estimated to be between .16 and .18 — more than twice the legal limit.
Brownell is docketed for sentencing on June 23.
Share
Chris Graham
