Drunk Driver Who Killed Elderly Uptowner Has Been Sentenced

Many of us remember the terrible incident in November 2012 in which 87-year-old Uptown resident Wayne Davis was hit by a car driven by an intoxicated motorist.  Mr. Davis had just greeted a friend at Broadway and Lawrence, and was crossing the street to have breakfast at the pancake house, when he was struck by a car driven by 26-year-old Michael Izeta, who attempted to drive away from the scene of the crime.  Luckily, there was a police car right there, and Mr. Izeta was apprehended and taken into custody.

Sadly, Mr. Davis, who was well-known to many and a resident of Friendly Towers on Wilson, passed away from his injuries three weeks later.

We heard from the 19th District Court Advocates about his case:

"We've been following the case of Michael Izeta in the death of Wayne Davis. Tonight at our monthly meeting we heard it wrapped up early this month. Izeta was found guilty of failure to report an accident resulting in death (five years) and aggravated DUI resulting in an accident or death (eleven years). We weren't in the courtroom for sentencing, so I don't know how it all adds up. His projected parole date is July 9, 2024. He'll have a good long time to think about Wayne Davis' death. He's been incarcerated since November 2012. He had a history of DUI and was driving on a suspended license."

Many people wrote to UU expressing their grief over Mr. Davis's death.  One was from his former roommate: "He was the kindest man you would ever meet. Happy and cheerful and used a vocabulary from the 1920s which made him eccentric. ... I am so sad to hear of the occurrence as his health in general was fantastic and he would of made it to 100 easy. God rest in peace Sir Wayne."

UU's previous stories about this case are here, here, here and here.