SAN ANTONIO – A repeat drunken driver was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder.
Zachary Lenius, 32, was involved in a deadly crash on Nov. 29, 2014, at a gas station in the 12000 block of O'Connor Road.
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The Bexar County District Attorney's Office said after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash at Perrin Beitel Road and Centergate Street, Lenius failed to negotiate the curve before the gas station, crossed over the turn lane and struck Joo Chung head-on.
The force from the impact pushed Chung's vehicle up into the parking lot of the gas station, where both vehicles came to a stop. Lenius was identified by an off-duty state trooper, who was following behind him at the time of the crash, the DA's Office said.
As the off-duty trooper was assisting Chung, Lenius fled from the scene, the DA's Office said. The off-duty trooper chased after Lenius and brought him back to the crash scene, where he was evaluated by a DWI officer and found to be intoxicated, the DA's Office said.
Lenius refused a blood draw, but a search warrant was obtained and Lenius' blood was drawn at a hospital, the DA's Office said. Toxicology results showed his blood alcohol content was .11, past the legal limit of .08 in Texas.
The defendant initially denied being the driver, but later told the arresting officer he was driving the truck, the DA's Office said. DNA from the airbag matched DNA obtained from Lenius.
Lenius plead guilty at his trial to a murder charge. Prosecutors called several witnesses to the stand, detailing the events of both crashes. The state also presented as evidence Lenius' two prior DWIs and past criminal history, which included two felony cases, an aggravated assault and a drug case, which he was on probation for at the time of the deadly crash.
Murder is a first-degree felony, punishable by 5-99 years, or life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, but Lenius' punishment range was enhanced to 15 years to life in prison because he was considered a repeat offender, the DA's Office said.