A Genesee man has pleaded down to a lesser charge in connection to last year’s car accident near Juliaetta that killed his girlfriend.
On Friday, 21-year-old Derik Neely pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in Lewiston’s 2nd District Court. He received a withheld judgment, after previously being charged with a felony in the case.
20-year-old Devin Matchey of Lewiston, was killed on Sept. 19, 2011, when the car Neely was driving went off an embankment on State Highway 3. Neely was reportedly driving in excess of 75 miles per hour, and he told investigators he and Matchey were in an argument when he lost control of the vehicle. Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt.
Neely was sentenced to one year in jail, but the court will suspend 325 days if the terms of his two-year probation are met.
