Judge wants to lower Larry Welch involuntary manslaughter sentence

The Missouri Supreme Court will be deciding on whether or not Larry Welch will serve less time for his involuntary manslaughter charges. There was not a ruling Wednesday, but the main arguments by both attorneys regarded the definition of violence.

Cole County Prosecutor, Mark Richardson, said the violent act was the fact that Welch got into his car and drove drunk, which resulted in the death of two people.

The opposition, who represents Judge Green, said this is not a violent crime because he didn’t intentionally go out to kill anyone.

There were four people in the car, two of which died, when Welch hit them driving in the wrong lane. The father, Eric Olsen and his daughter Johanna were both seriously injured.

Olsen and his daughter said they don’t understand how anyone couldn’t see it was a violent act.

“It was very violent. You have a truck come up over the roof of the car and the roof of the car comes down and hits you in the face and comes over your head and hits your kid in the face. That’s violent,” said Eric Olsen.

“To us it wasn’t just an assault. It was a murder that we had to witness we had to watch our family members be ripped limb from limb and that’s something you’ll never forget,” said Johanna Henry.

Welch is currently serving prison time at the Northeastern Correctional Center in Bowling Green.