A Sedgwick County jury has convicted a Wichita woman in connection with a drunken driving crash that killed a 71-year-old man at 13th Street and Greenwich in 2023.
Valerie M. Palace, 44, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Oct. 24, 2023, death of Billy Lee Wineinger of Andover, and of aggravated battery for injuries another motorist received, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said by email.
She is scheduled for sentencing on June 18 before Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Williams. She pleaded not guilty to the crimes ahead of her trial. Palace’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Monday afternoon.
Authorities have said Palace hit Wineinger with a Toyota 4-Runner as he was standing outside his vehicle, checking damage from a crash that happened at the intersection shortly before he was killed. The intersection was dark because it was nighttime, the traffic lights weren’t working and it was raining, a probable cause affidavit says…