A woman whose truck crossed the center turn-lane on 15th Street and struck a sedan head-on, killing the driver, was found guilty of DUI Manslaughter Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Kourtney Sage Hofheinz, 33, of Bristol, was found guilty as charged in the July 5, 2024, 4 a.m. wreck that claimed the life of Damian Donniel Kerr, 39. The victim was on his way to work from the beach in his Ford Fusion. The defendant was on her way to the beach. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for April 27.
The charge is a 2nd-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and with a minimum-mandatory 4-years by Statute.
Lead Prosecutor Peter Overstreet and Prosecutor Rachel Gause called 14 witnesses and presented evidence, including bodycam and surveillance video of the crash, proving Hofheinz was impaired at the time of the wreck.
Blood drawn at the hospital as doctors treated the defendant showed her blood-alcohol level was .124. The defendant’s westbound Chevrolet truck crossed the center median of 15th Street near Beck Avenue, hitting Damian Donniel Kerr’s eastbound sedan head-on in what was described as a “horrific” collision. Kerr died at the scene.
This truly was a horrific and violent collision that resulted in the death of a man trying to get to work, all because this defendant made the choice to drive impaired,” Overstreet said. “The defendant made some bad choices in the hours preceding the victim’s death. Choices have consequences and the jury took 45 minutes to decide this defendant should be held accountable.”
The evidence showed Hofheinz was traveling west on 15th Street in a GMC Sierra truck approaching Beck Avenue on her way to the beach. The victim was eastbound on 15th Street from the beach headed to his job.
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The defendant’s truck crossed the center turn-lane and hit the eastbound victim head-on, destroying both vehicles. The victim died at the scene. The defendant had a laceration and minor injuries.
Bodycam from Panama City Police Department officers show the defendant at first stuck in the truck, before officers escort her to the curb. As bodycam shows officers trying to help the victim, the defendant can be heard in the background.
“I’m not falling out, I’m trying to get out,” she said. “Did he hit me? What happened?”
The defendant repeatedly asked what had happened and showed signs of impairment.
“You can hear the slurring of her words, you can see her mannerisms,” Overstreet told jurors. “She’s sitting on the curb, she literally can see the wrecked vehicles, and she didn’t know what was going on because she was so impaired by alcohol. She didn’t even realize she’s the one who drifted into the other lane and struck Damian Kerr.”
In his closing argument, Overstreet told jurors to look at the facts, use their common sense, and hold the defendant accountable.
“Damian Kerr on July 5, 2024, had no idea that as he drove back down into Panama City that early morning that he would die,” Overstreet said. “Nobody on the roadway … had any idea of the horrific crash that was about to happen.
“And just like that, a life was over, lives were changed, because of one person and the choices they had made … and Kourtney Hofheinz made a lot of bad decisions. Today you are here to hold her accountable for those decisions.”
Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its thorough investigation that helped lead to a guilty verdict.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.