American Idol star Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced to two years in prison after crashing his pickup truck in South Carolina, killing a married father.
The then 17-year-old country singer was driving a 2011 Ford pickup north on West Murph Road in Spartanburg, which pulled into a private driveway on Feb. 8, 2022.
Larry Duane Parris, 54, was standing just outside his home workshop about 12:41 a.m. when Kennedy mowed him down, authorities said. The impact drove Parris into the store, where he was found by his daughter Kelsey. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Kennedy, 20, – who retired from the reality show in 2021 following a racism scandal – pleaded guilty Monday to drunken driving causing death and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, which was suspended for eight years and $15,100 , per WSPA.
Three of those eight years will be served in home confinement. He also gets credit for time spent since the crash and his first arrest.
Kennedy will also have to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling, as well as five years of probation.
American Idol star Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced to two years in prison after crashing his pickup truck in South Carolina, killing a married father
Kennedy made headlines last year after withdrawing from American Idol amid a racism scandal
Larry Duane Parris, 54, a married father, was standing just outside his home workshop, where he repairs boats, around 12:41 a.m. when Kennedy mowed him down, authorities said. The impact drove Parris into the store, where he was found by his daughter Kelsey. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital
A representative from the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s office in Spartanburg said American weekly a plea was entered before the case went to trial.
At a post-arrest hearing, toxicology reports revealed that Kennedy had THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and was prescribed Prozac in his system at the time of the crash.
Kennedy told officers after the crash that he took a “deep puff” from a vaping device and then felt its effects while driving.
During a 911 call, Parris’ daughter can be heard screaming for help, and Kennedy can be heard on tape saying he was sorry as he held the dying man in the store, the attorney said.
‘Daddy, daddy, please! Daddy, daddy, please!’ the daughter screams during the Fox Carolina call.
Kennedy was hospitalized after the crash and was treated for injuries.
The singer made headlines in 2021 after withdrawing from American Idol amid a racism scandal, when he was seen in a three-second clip on social media sitting next to a person wearing a white hood, which critics said was appeared to be a Ku Klux Klan hood. .
“Hey everyone, this may come as a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer on American Idol,” he wrote in an Instagram post in May 2021.
Authorities say Kennedy drove his pickup truck into Parris’ private driveway in Spartanburg and struck him as the man stood outside his workshop.
Kennedy, pictured in court in February 2022, pleaded guilty Monday to driving under the influence causing death and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, which was suspended to eight years and $15,100, per WSPA
‘A video appeared on the internet and it showed actions that were not intended that way.’
Kennedy said of the three-second video, “I was younger and didn’t think about the actions, but that’s no excuse.”
The film has nothing to do with racism or the Ku Klux Klan and Caleb’s mother, Anita Guy, insisted the young singer never had a racist bone in his body.
But those statements didn’t hold water with online critics who blasted Caleb, claiming he was making “excuses” and demanding he be disqualified from American Idol.
It was unclear whether ABC asked him to withdraw at the time, or whether he made the decision himself.
Kennedy apologized for the sequence of events and said he hoped to restore his reputation in the future.
“I want to say sorry to all my fans and everyone I let down,” he said.
“I’m taking some time off social media to better myself, but when I say that I know it has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me.
‘I’m so sorry! I pray that one day I can regain your trust in who I am and gain your respect! Thank you for supporting me.’
Kennedy advanced to the Top 5 of American Idol last year, but dropped out after a video circulated of him sitting next to someone who appeared to be wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood.
Kennedy’s relatives said the Snapchat video in question was taken four years ago, when he was 12 Herald Journal reported.
His mother Anita Guy told the newspaper: “I hate that this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online.
“This video was made after Caleb saw the movie The Strangers: Prey at Night and they imitated those characters.
“It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that’s what it looks like.
“Caleb doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races.”