A Raleigh man is headed to prison after pleading guilty Monday afternoon to the drunken driving deaths of an elderly couple on Saint Patrick's Day 2013.
Ray Rouse, 35, was drunk and driving the wrong way on Wade Avenue when he hit, and killed Ormond and Gaynell Bailey, who were on the way home from church.
The family of the victims said they were still too emotional to even speak to the judge prior to sentencing. They watched from the front row as Rouse was wheeled into the courtroom to accept responsibility for his crimes.
The attorneys on both sides of the case said Rouse agreed to plead guilty to DWI and two counts of second-degree murder in exchange for a set sentence which was approved by the Bailey family.
So as agreed to by all parties, Rouse was sentenced to a minimum of ten years in prison.
The victims' family members say they are still too emotional to speak publicly, but they their attorney read a letter from the family to ABC11.
"We loved our parents very much, as did all members of our family," read William Plyer, the Bailey family attorney. "They were great people and role models for everyone who was lucky enough to know them. This has been very difficult for our entire family. We know it also has been difficult for Mr. Rouse and his family. We appreciate Mr. Rouse pleading guilty so that we do not have to endure a trial."
Rouse will get credit for over a year that he's already been in jail since he was formally charged last May after he was released from the hospital.
