Driver in fatal I-695 crash to serve remaining sentence on home detention, judge rules

One of two drivers charged in the 2023 deaths of six construction workers on Interstate 695 will serve the rest of his 18-month sentence on home detention, a judge ruled Friday.

In March, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Vicki Ballou-Watts sentenced Melachi Duane Darnell Brown, 21, to 18 months in the Baltimore County Detention Center, three months for each of the six construction workers killed on March 22, 2023.

Brown pleaded guilty in January to six counts of negligent vehicular manslaughter, one count for each of the six construction workers killed.

The victims were Rolando Ruiz, Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, Jose Armando Escobar, Mahlon Simmons II, Mahlon Simmons III and Sybil Lee DiMaggio. Six worked for Concrete General, while DiMaggio was an inspector with KCI Technologies.

“There is no way to minimize, nor would I have a desire to minimize, the devastation that has occurred as a result of this situation,” Ballou-Watts said.

However, citing experts’ findings that Brown’s driving was not the “primary cause” of the fatal crash and Brown’s willingness to take responsibility and his sincerity, she ruled he will serve his remaining sentence on home detention. Any violations would send him back to jail for the rest of his sentence, Ballou-Watts said.

Prosecutors said data collected from Brown’s Volkswagen showed he was driving at 122 mph seconds before another driver, 55-year-old Lisa Lea, tried to merge into the left lane on I-695 in Woodlawn and hit Brown’s car.

Lea’s trial is set for November. In addition to vehicular manslaughter charges, she is accused of driving while impaired by drugs. Prosecutors have said she took oxycodone and a blood test returned a positive result for THC.

A state police investigator determined her unsafe lane change, which sent her car careening through a 156-foot gap in the work site’s jersey wall barrier, was the primary cause of the crash.

However, Lea’s impaired driving and excessive speed, as well as Brown’s excessive speed and aggressive driving, contributed to the crash, prosecutors said. Witnesses reported both drivers narrowly missed other cars as they sped through the 55 mph work zone.

Brown’s attorney Jennifer Kafes told Ballou-Watts on Friday that her client suffers from depression and anxiety, conditions exacerbated in the Towson jail. Kafes said inside the jail Brown received threats of violence that caused him “serious fear of imminent bodily harm” and witnessed drug use and gang activity.

“He is a tall, slender young man and he is very eager to complete his sentence,” Kafes said.

Brown has a supportive network of friends and family and previously took classes at Baltimore City Community College, she said.

“We don’t believe a greater purpose is served by him being in jail,” Kafes added.

Brown, who appeared in court in a green jumpsuit with his legs shackled and hands cuffed, expressed remorse for his driving.

“I still feel shaky talking about it because it still holds down on my conscience,” Brown said.

He told the judge he wouldn’t elaborate about his experience at the jail because he didn’t want to “break down” in court.

“I’d just like to say that I’m sorry for what I did,” Brown said.

After Ballou-Watts’ ruling, he quietly thanked her.

Baltimore County Assistant State’s Attorney Felise Kelly asked that Brown serve the rest of his sentence at the jail.

“The fashioning of the plea agreement had taken into account that he did stand tall and take responsibility and spare the families a trial,” said Kelly, adding that Brown’s speed — higher than 120 mph in a work zone — was “beyond egregious.”

Although the state asked that Brown’s sentence remain unchanged, Kelly said some victims’ relatives had opposed his original sentence. Those relatives did not believe Brown should be incarcerated and wanted to write him letters expressing their forgiveness, Kelly said.

Jim DiMaggio, Sybil DiMaggio’s older brother, also asked Ballou-Watts to keep Brown’s sentence the same. He said his 21-year-old niece, Sybil DiMaggio’s daughter, now experiences depression and anxiety, and moved into his parents’ basement after her mother’s death.

“My family has been devastated,” DiMaggio said. “It’s just been non-stop.”

In an interview following the hearing, DiMaggio said the victims’ families only had two days notice that the judge would be ruling on a request to modify Brown’s sentence, preventing other relatives from attending.

“I cannot believe that my sister’s life was worth, literally, a sentence of three months and now she’s letting him sit on his couch at home to serve his sentence,” DiMaggio said. “He caused an accident that caused my sister to be hit by another car and thrown over 100 feet, and now he gets to sit at home.”