WILMINGTON, Delaware — A 19-year-old was found not guilty on charges of vehicular homicide that left his Salesianum classmate dead, according to delawareonline.com.
On Thursday, after about six hours of deliberation, a jury found John Kirsch not guilty on a charge of vehicular homicide in a March crash that killed classmate, Tyler Brown, of Woolwich Township, delawareonline.com reported.
He was found guilty on a lesser charge of operating a motor vehicle causing death and still faces other possible charges in relation to the crash, the report said.
During the crash, Kirsch’s truck was hit by a passing tractor-trailer as he tried to cross U.S. 301 on Strawberry Lane in southern New Castle County. His classmate, Brown, who was a senior at Salesianum, was in the passenger seat and died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Kelly Muschiatti, a Padua Academy student, was in the backseat and was severally injured during the crash. Kirsch potentially faces another trial for vehicular assault charges in relation to Muschiatti’s injuries.
According to delawareonline.com, during the trial Kirsch admitted to the jury that he drank two beers and police reported that his blood-alcohol level was .068 after the crash, a level that is below the legal limit for adults but above the levels for a teen.
Kirsch was found guilty of driving a vehicle by a person under the age of 21 after consuming alcohol and possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
Kirsch will be sentenced later this spring.
Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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