'American Idol' finalist Caleb Kennedy sentenced to 8 years in prison after deadly DUI crash

Caleb Kennedy, known for making it to the apical 5 during the 19th play of "American Idol," was sentenced to 8 years successful situation for a fatal 2022 DUI crash, Fox News Digital confirmed.

Kennedy, 20, appeared successful tribunal successful Spartanburg, South Carolina, Monday, wherever helium pleaded blameworthy to a felony complaint of driving nether the power wherever decease results.

He was sentenced to 25 years successful situation with a $25,100 fine, with the condemnation suspended to 8 years with a $15,100 fine. He'll service 5 years of his condemnation with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and 3 successful location detention, with recognition being fixed for the clip he's already served since his arrest.

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Caleb Kennedy pleaded blameworthy to a complaint of driving nether the power wherever decease results. (South Carolina Department of Corrections; Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

Following his release, Kennedy volition beryllium placed connected probation for 5 years. He's besides required to person intelligence wellness and substance maltreatment counseling.

Solicitor Barry J. Barnette, who prosecuted Kennedy, told Fox News Digital, "This lawsuit shows the dangers of vape pens to society." Barnette concluded the usage of vape pens led to the decease of Larry Parris, 54, the antheral killed successful Kennedy's crash.

Ryan Beasley, Kennedy's defence attorney, told Fox Carolina, "First of all, Caleb again wants to explicit his heartfelt sympathies to the Parris family. Caleb afloat accepts his work for this mishap and hopes for healing for everyone affected by this tragedy."

Caleb Kennedy was arrested Feb. 8, 2022. (Spartanburg County Jail via AP)

"He’s got nary record, and helium was a insignificant erstwhile this happened," Beasley besides told the Greenville News. "This wasn’t specified an egregious enactment that you spot astir of the time, wherever radical were drinking and driving past they deed idiosyncratic astatine nighttime oregon going the incorrect mode down the road. This was a weird absorption from his medicine medicine and perchance THC." 

Before the Feb. 8, 2022, accident, Kennedy was said by prosecutors to person been smoking marijuana with a vape pen. His defence claimed his Prozac medicine had been accrued astatine the clip and that he'd had a atrocious absorption to it.

Kennedy competed connected the 19th play of "American Idol" but abruptly near aft a video surfaced depicting him lasting with idiosyncratic who appeared to beryllium wearing a KKK hood. (Christopher Willard via Getty Images)

At the time, the South Carolina Highway Patrol told Fox News Digital, "A 2011 Ford pickup was traveling North connected West Murph Road erstwhile the conveyance traveled onto a backstage thrust … and struck a building. A idiosyncratic wrong the gathering sustained fatal injuries arsenic a effect of the collision."

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Kennedy was 16 erstwhile helium appeared connected "American Idol" successful 2021, earning his mode to a spot arsenic a finalist earlier abruptly leaving the competition aft a video surfaced of him lasting adjacent to a idiosyncratic seemingly wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood.

Caleb Kennedy was 16 erstwhile helium appeared connected "American Idol." (ABC/Eric McCandless)

"Hey y'all, this is gonna beryllium a spot of a surprise, but I americium nary longer gonna beryllium connected American Idol. There was a video that surfaced connected the net and it displayed actions that were not meant to beryllium taken successful that way. I was younger and did not deliberation astir the actions, but that's not an excuse," helium wrote successful a societal media post.

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Caleb Kennedy was successful the apical 5 erstwhile helium near the "American Idol" competition. (ABC/Eric McCandless)

"I wanna accidental atrocious to each my fans and everyone who I person fto down. I'll beryllium taking a small clip disconnected societal media to amended myself, but saying that, I cognize this has wounded and disappointed a batch of radical and made radical suffer respect for me. I'm truthful sorry!"

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The vocalist finished the connection by saying helium prayed 1 time he'd summation backmost the spot of his fans.