Lane Garrison - Former 'Prison Break' Actor Will Plead Guilty to Manslaughter
April 12, 2007
Lane Garrison, former cast member on the television series Prison Break, will be pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges at his next hearing, which is scheduled to commence on May 21, according to his attorney Harland Braun.
After Garrison’s April 11 hearing in Beverly Hills court, Braun asked for continuance. He explained to TV Guide, "There will be no deal on sentencing…that decision will be left totally up to the judge." Given this, Garrison faces a maximum of 6 years in prison, quite ironic since he already spent some on screen jail time with his stint on Prison Break. Braun also shared what Garrison told him, “‘I'm alive and the other young man isn't. I'm alive, and there are hundreds of young men dying under horrendous circumstances in Iraq. In a very real sense, I'm lucky.’” In addition, Braun said that Garrison is deeply depressed about everything that has happened. He said, "He's extremely sad about... this tragedy."
Last December 2, Garrison got involved in a car accident. His 2001 Land Rover leaped a curb at about 50 mph and consequently hit a tree. The crash nearly ended his life and caused the death of a 17-year old Beverly Hills High School student Vahagn Setian, a male passenger, and severely injured two 15-year old girls. Garrison’s blood alcohol level was actually 0.15 percent far beyond the California limit of 0.08 percent. To add more complications, cocaine was found in his blood, which further aggravated his case. He faces
Garrison, a 26-year old native of Dallas, Texas, first got his break by doing television commercials. He is best known for playing David "Tweener" Apolskis on the action-suspense series Prison Break. Prior to his stint on Prison Break, he worked in a number of movies and television shows like 4 Faces, Quality of Life and Night Stalker.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
[ Open Letter to Lane Garrison
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Lane Garrison sentenced to 40 months in prison
Oct. 31, 2007
LOS ANGELES - Former "Prison Break" actor Lane Garrison was sentenced to three years and four months in prison Wednesday for a drunken driving crash that killed a 17-year-old Beverly Hills High student last December.
"The public has the right to know that conduct such as this, causing devastation such as this" will have consequences, Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox said.
"Unfortunately, in this case, you have to be the messenger," he told Garrison.
Garrison, 27 could have received nearly seven years in prison. He had no reaction to the sentencing and was taken away in handcuffs to immediately begin serving the time.
Before the ruling, he apologized to the family of Vahagn Setian.
"I'm sick of my own behavior that night," he said. "This remorse is genuine. I feel it every day."
Afterward, defense attorney Harland Braun said his client accepted the sentence philosophically.
"He was hopeful (of leniency) but someone's dead and he's alive," Braun said.
The attorney said Garrison told him: "I'm the lucky one."
Setian was a passenger in the 2001 Land Rover that Garrison rammed into a tree on Dec. 2. Two 15-year-old girls who also were in the Rover survived.
Garrison met the youths at a grocery store and accompanied them to a party. At the time of the crash, Garrison had a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and was under the influence of cocaine, according to police.
Garrison pleaded guilty in May to one count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, one count of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent or higher and a misdemeanor of providing alcohol to a minor.
In court Wednesday, a prosecutor claimed that the actor had not taken full responsibility for the death and had blamed others for the accident during psychological evaluations.
The judge disagreed.
"I think you're truly remorseful," he told Garrison.
Outside court, one of the girls, Michelle Lahana, said the judge made "a fair and thoughtful handling of the case."
Classmates and relatives of Setian had pressed for Garrison to get the maximum sentence. On Tuesday, they tried to deliver to court a petition carrying more than 3,000 signatures making the request, but were told to submit it at the hearing through a prosecutor.
However, the judge refused to accept the petition on Wednesday, calling it inappropriate.
Fox also rejected the prosecution's requested sentence of four years and eight months in prison.
Braun asked the judge to sentence Garrison only to probation.
The judge imposed both prison time and four years of parole and ordered Garrison to pay around $300,000 in restitution to the victims and their families.
Deputy District Attorney Joseph Markus said the high-profile case had rightfully raised community concerns.
"This is a high school party, this is a 26-year-old man. He bought vodka and smoked pot ... It's a parent's worst nightmare," Markus said.
[ Open Letter to Lane Garrison
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