Man gets 20 years for fatal DWI crash

A man who pleaded guilty to an intoxication manslaughter charge stemming from a deadly crash last year in Montgomery County received the maximum 20-year prison sentence on Thursday.

Starlan Herbert Smith Jr., who entered his plea Dec. 4, will serve at least half his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Around 3 a.m. April 21, Smith, 38, was speeding on Interstate 45 northbound when he struck 25-year-old Karla Tapia’s vehicle from behind, knocking it forward into concrete barriers. Tapia died after she was thrown out of her vehicle as it began to roll, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

Smith’s blood-alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit, according to the news release.