Press Release
The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on February 22, 2018, a Bay County jury found Cody Austin Shirah guilty as charged of 4 counts of DUI Manslaughter, 4 counts of Vehicular Homicide, DUI Causing Serious Bodily Injury, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Property Damage. Circuit Judge Michael Overstreet then sentenced Shirah to a total of 60 years of imprisonment. The case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. At trial, Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford and Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham proved to the jury that on September 16, 2016, Shirah sideswiped one vehicle on Highway 231. Shirah then fled onto Pinetree Road at an excessive speed and ran the stop sign at Pinetree Road and John Pitts Road, colliding with a separate vehicle, a van carrying a team of five softball players from Ohio. Four of the occupants of the van were killed, and one was seriously injured. Testimony revealed that Shirah had 7.25 alcoholic drinks in his system at the time of the crash.
For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.