Columbus man sentenced for ‘horrible mistake’ in 2016 that killed his best friend

Derrick Ingram and Kevin Foy had been close friends since high school, when they played football together at Kendrick.

“They were inseparable, best friends,” Ingram’s attorney said. “Then after high school, they went to the Navy together, as well, and when they had vacations, they took vacations together. They were just very, very close — the very best of friends. Really they were family.”

That friendship came to a tragic end around 1:15 p.m. Jan. 16, 2016, when the two were coming home from a night out, with Ingram driving a 2000 Chrysler Cirrus and Foy beside him in the front passenger’s seat.

Ingram’s attorney, Mark Shelnutt, said the pair were half a mile from home when a deer darted in front of the car on Woodruff Farm Road near Branton Lane.

When Ingram swerved to avoid the animal, he hit a fire hydrant and lost control of the Chrysler, which crashed into a tree before coming to rest in the parking lot of Fort Middle School, 2900 Woodruff Farm Road.

Neither Ingram nor Foy were wearing seat belts. Foy was thrown from the car, and later died from his injuries. He was 25.

Ingram, then 24, was charged with multiple offenses, including homicide by vehicle and reckless driving, and misdemeanor driving under the influence, leaving the scene of the accident before giving his name and registration to police, failing to report striking a fixed object, failing to maintain his traffic lane and not wearing a seat belt.

Based on those allegations, he was facing up to 17 years in prison, Judge Maureen Gottfried told him Tuesday as Ingram faced those charges in Muscogee Superior Court.

But Shelnutt and Assistant District Attorney Robin King agreed to a plea deal in which most of the charges were dismissed as Ingram pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and to wearing no seat belt. Gottfried sentenced him to serve four years’ probation, and to pay a $1,000 fine within 18 months.

She also recommended he get counseling.

“You were the one who made the horrible mistake that night, and you have to accept the consequences,” she told Ingram, who’s now 28.

Ingram has to live with the memory of his friend’s death, Shelnutt said after the sentencing.

“He’s got a good job right now; he’s working as an electronics engineer. He’s married with three children, and trying to go on with life as best he can,” the attorney said. “But obviously it’s the kind of loss that will affect him for the rest of his life.”

It’s a reminder that a moment’s mistake can be deadly, on the road, he said.

“He lost his best friend, and it was just one of those things — you never know; you’ve got to be vigilant when you’re driving, and watching at all times.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 1:16 PM.