NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former Navy sailor was sentenced on Friday to serve five years for aggravated involuntary manslaughter after driving under the influence resulted in the death of his friend.
24-year-old Joseph Medina was drinking in downtown Norfolk with Zachary Soussa on Dec. 9, 2022. Just after 2 a.m. on Dec. 10, Medina crashed the car on Virginia Beach Boulevard after losing control, driving up a median and hitting two trees.
The collision with the second tree ripped the front passenger door off Medina’s vehicle and caused Soussa to eject from the vehicle. Soussa died on impact.
Medina was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and treated for his injuries from the crash, and Norfolk Police detained him after he was discharged.
Investigators served a search warrant on the hospital to obtain Medina’s medical records, and those records showed his blood alcohol content following the crash to have been 0.25.