LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥 Former Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs was sentenced Wednesday to at least three years in a Nevada prison for killing a woman in a fiery crash while driving his sports car drunk at speeds up to 156 mph on a city street nearly two years ago.
鈥淚 sincerely apologize,鈥 the former first-round NFL draft pick said as he stood for sentencing in Las Vegas after to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, a charge carrying a six-month jail sentence that will be folded in with his three-to-10-year prison term.
Ruggs, now 24, was while he was still hospitalized following the predawn crash on Nov. 2, 2021. The collision killed and injured Ruggs' passenger, Kiara Je鈥檔ai Kilgo-Washington, his fiancee and mother of their daughter.
鈥淚 have no excuses,鈥 Ruggs said, citing pain the case has caused his family, teammates and Tintor's family. Ruggs said that after prison, he intends to counsel others 鈥渁bout the dangers of driving at unsafe speed and driving and drinking.鈥
In a statement read in court by Tintor鈥檚 cousin, David Strbac, Tintor鈥檚 mother, Mirjana Komazec, offered grief, grace and memories of 鈥渨hat it was like to hug and embrace her, knowing we will never be able to kiss her on her forehead or tell her how much we love her and how absolutely proud of her we are.鈥
鈥淲e pray that Henry Ruggs is blessed with the opportunity to be able watch his beautiful daughter grow into the amazing woman she can be,鈥 Komazec's statement said. 鈥淎nd we pray that this terrible accident inspires positive change in the world. We pray that we all take away the importance of looking out for one another, remembering everyone we meet is another human鈥檚 loved one.鈥
Kilgo-Washington and a group of friends and supporters watched as Ruggs, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, was handcuffed by a court officer when Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Schwartz read the sentence. Ruggs was then led away. Ruggs had remained free on house arrest since shortly after the crash.
In court filings ahead of the sentencing, Ruggs' attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, included letters from high school administrators and teachers in Montgomery, Alabama, who praised Ruggs, and a testimonial from Democratic Alabama state Rep. Phillip Ensler.
鈥淢r. Ruggs is a man of good character who made a terrible mistake,鈥 the attorneys said in the presentencing memorandum. 鈥淗is remorse is deep and sincere.鈥
His plea deal avoided a trial that Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said because Ruggs was not administered a field sobriety test following the crash and his defense attorneys argued that Ruggs鈥 blood-alcohol test was improperly obtained at the hospital.
Wolfson, a Democrat, said the blood test provided 鈥渧irtually鈥 the only proof that Ruggs was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. It revealed that Ruggs had a 鈥 twice the legal limit in Nevada 鈥 after the rear-end in Tintor's Toyota Rav 4.
Kilgo-Washington also was injured in Ruggs' demolished 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Prosecutors said Ruggs suffered a leg injury, and Kilgo-Washington received an arm injury. Kilgo-Washington was not cooperative with prosecutors as a victim in the case.
Wolfson had said Ruggs would face a mandatory minimum of two years in prison if convicted and The district attorney said investigators learned that Ruggs spent several hours drinking with friends at a sports entertainment site and golfing venue, and may have been at a friend鈥檚 home for several more hours before he and Kilgo-Washington headed home.
Tintor was a Serbian immigrant who friends and family members said graduated from a Las Vegas high school, worked at a Target store, wanted to become a computer programmer and was close to obtaining her U.S. citizenship. The family statement called Max her best friend.
鈥淭he sentence isn't going to bring Tina back,鈥 Farhan Naqvi, an attorney who represented Tintor's family, said outside the courtroom. 鈥淲hat we're hoping for, more than anything, is that other deaths can be prevented from driving under the influence and reckless driving. It ruins lives. It destroys families.鈥
