Man who pleaded guilty in deadly crash appeals sentence

A man who pleaded guilty in a deadly drunk driving crash in Columbia is asking a judge reverse his sentence.

Joshua Keller pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder, driving while intoxicated as a chronic offender and second-degree assault. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Keller filed an appeal on Friday claiming his attorney, Jenean Thompson, did not tell him before or at his plea hearing that his charges could be upgraded because of his criminal history, and he could face a greater range of punishment. Documents said his attorney failed to correct the “trial court error” when Judge Asel “incorrectly” gave the range of punishment on the assault charge.

Keller was behind the wheel at the time of the head-on crash at Business Loop 70 East and Eastland Circle that killed Sebastian Sneed in December 2016. A 6-year-old child in Sneed’s car was injured.

Prosecutors changed one of the assault charges to the chronic DWI offender charge. That enhanced the charge from a C felony, which carries a maximum 10-year punishment, to a B felony, a 15-year maximum punishment. However, the DWI sentence is enhanced further from anywhere between 10 to 30 years possible.

Judge Jodie Asel ultimately sentenced him to 15 years in prison on the chronic DWI charge, 18 years for murder and 15 years for assault, which will run at the same time.

Keller claimed that his plea should not be considered knowing and voluntary because he was unaware of the enhanced punishment for the DWI charge.

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