Man Found Guilty Of Crash That Killed 3

Birkholz Faces Possible 20-Year Prison Term

POSTED: Tuesday, February 7, 2006

UPDATED: 9:15 am CST February 7, 2006

Scott Birkholz

SAN ANTONIO -- A 33-year-old man was found guilty Monday of a DWI crash that left three people dead, including his wife and a sibling.

Jurors deliberated for four hours before delivering a guilty verdict against Scott Birkholz of intoxication manslaughter.

Scott was visibly shaken when the verdict was read in court. Some family members were crying shortly afterwards.

Prosecutors argued that Birkholz was driving drunk when he crashed a BMW into a tree near Helotes in January 2003. The car burst into flames killing the three victims.

Defense attorneys countered that Birkholz was not the driver despite evidence showing that the three victims had their seat belts buckled.

Birkholz faces up to 20 years in prison.

The punishment phase of his trial begins Tuesday morning.

Previous Stories:

January 31, 2006: Bar Owner Testifies In DWI Trial
January 30, 2006: Deputy: DWI Defendant Claimed He Wasn't Driving

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