GRETNA, La. — A Mississippi man who was involved in a car crash that killed a 75-year-old woman in Metairie last year was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide in court Thursday.
NOLA.com reports that Sean Bennett of Poplarville pleaded guilty in the crash that claimed the life of Lyn Peychaud Garnett, a retired religion teacher from New Orleans. Two others were injured in the crash.
Prosecutors contended that Bennett had cocaine, marijuana and meth in his system while traveling on Causeway Blvd. They said he ran a red light and crashed into a car and began skidding before hitting Garnett’s vehicle and sending her car into a light pole.
Lynn Garnett and her husband were taken to a hospital. He was released, but she remained there for seven weeks, surviving 11 surgeries until she succumbed to her injuries on June 7, 2022, relatives said.
Bennett and the other driver were also taken to a hospital for treatment. Bennett told Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators that he'd been rushing because of a hallucination that someone was going to hurt his family, the District Attorney's Office said.
Judge Shayne Beevers Morvant of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Bennett to 17 years in prison for the vehicular homicide charge.
