Man accused of killing 8-year-old dies Monday
Published 4:39 pm Wednesday, February 19, 2014
A man charged with killing an 8-year-old Jemison Elementary School student while driving drunk in 2012 died on Monday.
Danny Ray Smith, 66, of Tuscaloosa passed away at Hospice of West Alabama, according to his obituary.
Authorities allege Smith struck Haylee Burks, her 3-year-old sister and the girls’ 28-year-old mother while they walked along a shoulder following the Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show in April 2012.
Burks died from the injuries she sustained.
Burks’ mother has also filed a civil claim against Smith.
Deputy District Attorney Scott Holmes with the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s office confirmed on Wednesday that due to Smith’s death, the criminal case against him was dismissed.
Holmes could not confirm if the civil actions filed against Smith would remain active.