Police say Richard White, Jr. was driving drunk when he caused a wreck that killed his sister in February. He was arrested over the weekend after a tipster told them he was hiding out in Benson.
"He's definitely sorry this happened," family friend David Isham. "I believe it was an accident."
But Fayetteville police believe it was not an accident. They say tests showed White was driving under the influence when he wrecked, killing his sister, but friends tell a different story.
"He was coming down the hill and someone pulled off a side street and he reacted quickly," Isham said. "He says he might have hit the gas instead of the brake and it just shot him into the pole."
Elizabeth White, 22, died when the car slammed into a utility pole on Bragg Boulevard.
Authorities arrested Richard White over the weekend after they say a crimestoppers tipster told them he was hiding out in Johnston County. Friends and family say he wasn't hiding from anyone.
"He was visiting his son, right, and his girlfriend," family friend Eric Williams said. "He wanted to see them then he was coming to turn himself in."
White remains jailed at the Cumberland County Detention Center under $250,000 bond. He's charged with second-degree murder and police say the charge speaks for it.
"In this case, we have a previous DWI history, and we also have a case where the driver was also intoxicated while he was driving," Sgt. Matt Dow, Fayetteville Police Department, said.
Friends say Richard and Elizabeth's mother is devastated.
"It's taken [a] toll on her real bad," Williams said. "She has lost her daughter now she has lost her son, you know, and it's hurting her bad."
Richard White has been in a wheelchair since the wreck. His friends raised money to build him a ramp at his home. Now, they're trying to find enough money for his bond.
If there is one thing both the police and White's friends agree on is this is a terrible tragedy.
Classifieds | Report A Typo |
Send Tip |
Get Alerts | See Click Fix
Follow @abc11 on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook
