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Caleb Kennedy, who appeared on Season 19 of “American Idol,” has been sentenced after pleading guilty to driving under the influence, Us Weekly reported on Friday.
Kennedy, 20, was arrested and charged with a felony DUI in South Carolina in February 2022 after a car crash led to the death of a 54-year-old man. Kennedy was 17 when his Ford pickup truck traveled 175 yards off the road and struck a garage in which Larry Duane Parris was working in Spartanburg, S.C.
Parris was reportedly pronounced dead at the hospital three hours after the 12:30 p.m. crash.
On Monday, Kennedy pleaded guilty during his hearing, according to a local Spartanburg, South Carolina CBS affiliate WSPA. The outlet reported that Kennedy was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, which has been reduced to eight years and a $15,000 fee.
Kennedy will serve three years of his sentence via home detention. He will then be on probation for five years after his release.
The singer will also be required to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling. A representative for the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s office in Spartanburg confirmed that a plea deal was made before the case went to trial.
“This case shows the dangers of vape pens to society,” Solicitor Barry J. Barnette, who prosecuted Kennedy, said in a statement.
FOX Carolina reported that Kennedy’s defense said his dose of Prozac had been increased shortly before the crash. The Greenville News also reported that he was driving under the influence of marijuana after using a vape pen, citing warrants. The warrants reportedly said the reality TV alum was on his way to his girlfriend’s house at the time of the accident, and that Parris was talking on a phone.
“A very good person died, and I feel so bad for the Parris family. Caleb’s very remorseful and his heartfelt sympathies are extended to the Parris family. This sentencing starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation,” Kennedy’s attorney Ryan Beasley said in a statement to The Greenville News.
In a second statement to FOX Carolina, Beasley said that Kennedy “wants to express his heartfelt sympathies to the Parris family,” and that he “accepts his responsibility for this accident and hopes for healing for everyone affected by this tragedy.”
“He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened. This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC.”
Parris was the founder of the Parris Construction Company, according to his obituary.
Weeks after the crash, Parris’ wife Donna and daughter Kelsi gave an emotional plea during a virtual court hearing for Kennedy, asking the judge to deny his bond.
“I see my daddy laying in his own shop, moaning and groaning, with a stranger not even calling 911,” Kelsi said, per The State. “He killed my dad, point-blank. I wish I could pay a little bit of money or a lot of money to have my daddy back.”
During Season 19 of the competition show, Kennedy had to leave early, despite making the final five, after an allegedly racist video from his past surfaced online.
In the video, he was seen with a friend who was wearing a hood similar to the ones worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on ‘American Idol,’” he wrote on Instagram in May 2021. “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”
Kennedy continued, “I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me. I’m so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect!”
The judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, shared their own statements about his departure.
“Well losing great talent is always [hard] … this is our class. This is the class of 2021. So, you know, it was an unfortunate situation,” Richie, 75, told Entertainment Tonight that same month. “We had to ride with what’s happening with ABC, and you know that’s where we play. So you know we wish him all the best, but that was just one of those unfortunate things that happen along the way of life.”
Bryan, 48, reiterated his coworkers sentiments, telling the outlet that the entire panel loves “these kids.”
“We love every aspect of their growth and all of this, but it’s certainly devastating news when we hear about this,” Bryan added. “But like we said, our thoughts will be with him as he grows as an artist.”