Chandler Kania stood before a judge in a Hillsborough courtroom on Monday and entered several guilty pleas, but that was not the end of the road in this case.
Kania, the former UNC student, admitted to driving the wrong-way on I-85 near the I-40 split last summer for approximately six miles before crashing head-on into another vehicle. The crash killed three of the four passengers in the vehicle struck by Kania’s Jeep Wrangler – 49-year-old Felicia Harris, 46-year-old Darlene McGee and six-year-old Jahnice Baird. Nine-year-old Jahnia King was the fourth passenger and was injured in the crash.
After approximately two hours of discussions between attorneys for the state and defense, Kania entered guilty pleas on Monday for three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, one count of felony serious injury by motor vehicle, driving while impaired and other misdemeanor charges related to the July 2015 crash.
But that guilty plea was not part of any agreement to bring the case to a conclusion. Kania entered a not guilty plea to three counts of second-degree murder and one count of reckless driving.
The maximum sentence for the charges Kania pled guilty to on Monday is 714 months – or nearly 60 years. But Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman said that Kania would be facing a window of approximately 21 – 25 years for the offenses based on his criminal record.
The main difference between the felony death by motor vehicle charge and second-degree murder is that the latter charge requires the prosecution to prove that Kania acted with malice the night of the crash.
Court documents show that Kania, who was 20 years old at the time of the crash, spent several hours drinking with friends the night of the crash, including trips to two Chapel Hill bars where he used a fake ID. Kania also fought off friends who tried to keep him from driving the night of the crash, according to records.
Kania’s blood-alcohol content the night of the crash was .17, records show, which is twice the legal limit to drive in North Carolina. But Kania was also underage at the time of the crash.
Kania’s defense team also objected to some pictures the state is submitting to use in the trial. The judge ruled out three of the 52 pictures submitted because he felt they were redundant. The judge also denied a defense motion asking for jurors to be selected on an individual basis, rather than traditional block consideration.
Potential jurors will, however, be made aware Kania entered a guilty plea on some charges on Monday.
That jury selection process is set to begin on Tuesday.
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