BYRNES MILL, Mo. (AP) — And eastern Missouri man was charged Wednesday with driving while intoxicated after a crash that killed a young couple and their infant son, authorities said.
David Goss Thurby, 26, of Fenton, was being held without bond Wednesday in the Jefferson County jail.
The crash Tuesday night on Highway 30 near Byrnes Mill killed 25-year-old Lacey Newton; her fiance, Cordell Williams, 30; and their 4-month-old son, Cordell Shawn Michael Williams. They lived in Bonne Terre.
Newton and Williams also had 2- and 4-year-old sons, who were staying with relatives at the time of the crash.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Thurby’s vehicle rear-ended the couple’s car, forcing it off the road and into a tree, where it caught fire, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
A preliminary test revealed that Thurby had a blood-alcohol level of 0.192, more than twice the legal limit, a trooper said in a probable cause statement.
Thurby, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, was also charged with four misdemeanors, including possession of marijuana and driving in a reckless manner.