An impaired woman headed to the beach for the sunrise when she crossed the centerline on 15th Street and hit a work-bound man head-on, killing him, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Monday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Kourtney Sage Hofheinz, 33, of Bristol, was found guilty March 12 of DUI-Manslaughter.
In levying the sentence – Florida Statutes call for a minimum-mandatory 4 years in prison and up to 15 years – Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson agreed with Prosecutor Peter Overstreet that the defendant did not qualify for a “downward departure,” or reduced sentence.
“This wasn’t some isolated incident,” Overstreet said, noting the defendant was first arrested for DUI in 2008. “Then, a mere four days prior to killing Mr. Kerr, she was arrested for DUI. She has a problem.
“Her problems, her mistake, cost someone their life,” he said. “Mr. Kerr shouldn’t have had to worry that someone was going to come across from the other side of the road and smash into him.”
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Judge Stephenson agreed the defendant did not qualify for a downward departure. He said the defendant was “not a monster,” but there had to be consequences for her actions.
“Forgiveness is available,” Stephenson told the defendant. “But please understand forgiveness is not mine to give. That’s bigger than me, accountability is my job on this side of heaven and that’s where my focus is today.”
Stephenson then sentenced Hofheinz to 13 years in prison.
“I know this is a significant sentence,” the judge told the defendant. “I will carry the weight of the sentence; you will carry the weight of the consequences.”
Overstreet proved at trial that on July 5, 2024, around 4 a.m. the defendant was driving west on 15th Street near Beck Avenue with a blood-alcohol level of .124, well over the legal limit of .08. Evidence and testimony showed the defendant crossed the center median, hitting Kerr’s eastbound sedan head-on in what was described as a “horrific” collision. Kerr died at the scene.
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.