JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man who Jacksonville Beach police said was driving nearly 75 mph in a 25 mph zone when his car struck two men walking across 2nd Street North on July 11, 2019, was sentenced Monday afternoon to 15 years in prison.
One of the pedestrians, 22-year-old Bryn Turner of South Carolina, died after the crash. The second man recovered from his injures.
Joshua Lovingood, 33, pleaded guilty earlier this month to vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence and other charges.
Turner’s friend who was injured, Julio Gomez, spoke at Monday’s sentencing hearing. He said he suffered several fractures, broken bones and a concussion.
“However, it killed Bryn on impact. Lovingood continued driving after striking us, leaving us for dead in the middle of the road like a coward,” Gomez said.
Lovingood also spoke and apologized to Turner’s family.
“I am not someone who has a total disregard for the law,” he said. “I am someone who turned to alcohol to cope with problems I developed while I was in the Army serving my country.”
After hearing impact statements from the parents and advocates for both Turner and the defendant, Judge Mark Borello sentenced Lovingood to the maximum legal sentence. He will be credited for more than 500 days that he has already been held in jail.
“The video in the case was chilling, without question,” Borello said. “It is only by the grace of God there was not more carnage on the roads of Jacksonville Beach that evening.”
News4Jax spoke with Turner’s family after the hearing.
“Today was an incredibly difficult day for us, our whole family and all of our friends and the people that knew Bryn,” said his father, Michael Turner. “Today, we finally saw some justice being served and we are thankful for that. But also it’s a very sad day for all of us, and Mr. Lovingood and his family, today is not a happy day, but it’s something that had to be addressed.”
Lovingood continued driving south on 2nd Street North and hit a stop sign and a palm tree, causing the vehicle to flip. He was arrested in October in Ohio on charges of driving under the influence manslaughter, driving under the influence with damage, driving under the influence with injury and driving while license suspended or revoked.
Jacksonville Beach police said the arrest took nearly three months because investigators wanted to build evidence and did not want anything to jeopardize the case.
According to the arrest warrant, results of a blood test showed that Lovingood’s blood alcohol content was .228%, police said, nearly three times the legal limit of .08%.
Lovingood’s license was already suspended because of a past DUI arrest.
News4Jax confirmed that Lovingood was working at the time as a bartender at Ruby Beach Brewing in Jacksonville Beach. Investigators believe he was involved in the crash shortly after leaving work and was drinking on the job. Police showed surveillance video played in court showed Lovingood having 10 drinks in two hours.