Man pleads not guilty to DUI manslaughter in death of father of 14

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of killing a father of 14 in a drunken driving crash pleaded not guilty to a DUI manslaughter charge.

Police said Najee Hillsman was driving drunk when he crossed the median and hit Alvin Nelson’s car head-on.

Nelson’s family had wanted Hillsman to be charged with more deaths because the female passenger with Nelson had told them she was pregnant with his twins and miscarried.

The family has since learned that the woman, who suffered two broken legs, was never pregnant.

"That was my only child, and he took that from me," Donald Mitchell said of his son, who was a father of 14 children.

Mitchell is now caring for his son’s children. Family members said no sentence could ever be punishment enough for Hillsman.

"All we are seeking is justice, although (whether) they lock him up for 20 to 100 years, it's not going to bring Alvin back, but you've got to pay for the crime you committed," Minnie McDonald, the grandmother of two of Nelson's children, said.

Nelson’s family said they are concerned that Hillsman is not remorseful after seeing him smile during his arraignment while the attorneys discussed the minimum possible sentence in court.

"For me to stand in court this morning and see this young man with a smile -- a grin -- on his face and have no remorse in the world, that just torn me and my family apart," Nelson's sister, Sharonda Scott, said at the arraignment.

One of Nelson’s children had a message for anyone whose father is still alive.

"Cherish him while he is here, because when he is gone he will never come back," Nelson's daughter, Beyonce Bennett, said.


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