Man pleads guilty to two counts of manslaughter in Biloxi crash that killed grandmother and grandson
Biloxi, Mississippi –District Attorney W. Crosby Parker stated that Izaun Cade Baxter, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi pled guilty and was sentenced today for two counts of Manslaughter resulting from the October 10, 2020 crash that killed 59-year-old Ollie Armstrong and her 6-year-old grandson, Kevin North, Jr. Baxter was 18-years old at the time of the crash.
Circuit Court Judge Christopher Schmidt sentenced Baxter to 20 years, with 10 years suspended, leaving 10 years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Following his release from custody, Baxter will be supervised by the Mississippi Department of Corrections for an additional 5 years.
During his plea hearing, Baxter told the Court that on the date of the crime he was in town for Cruisin’ the Coast. He was stopped at a traffic light west of Harrah’s Casino when he recognized an acquaintance in a car next to him.
According to Assistant District Attorney George Huffman, who prosecuted the case, video footage and witness statements detail how the drivers of the two vehicles revved their engines before taking off at a high rate of speed once the light turned green.
The two vehicles sped down Highway 90 until the acquaintance slowed down to enter a turn lane into the Golden Nugget Casino.
Baxter continued at a high rate of speed. Ms. Armstrong was turning into the Golden Nugget as Baxter was approaching the intersection. It is estimated that Baxter was driving his Toyota 4-Runner over 91 miles-per-hour when he crashed into the sedan driven by Ms. Armstrong. Both Ollie Armstrong and Kevin North, Jr. died in the crash.
Drugs or alcohol were not involved in the crash.
According to Huffman, Judge Schmidt heard a victim impact statement from the victims’ family during the hearing.
He also heard from a number of character witnesses on behalf of Baxter. Prior to imposing his sentence, Judge Schmidt considered Baxter’s lack of prior criminal history and testimony relating to Baxter’s character.
He also took into consideration the gravity and seriousness of the crime and noted that “sometimes good people commit bad acts.”
“This is a tragic example of how one reckless decision can have life-changing consequences for numerous people. This Defendant thought that it would be fun to race down a crowded Highway 90 and as a result two people lost their lives. A family lost a loving mother and son. While nothing can erase this loss, we hope that the Court’s sentence can help in the healing process,” stated District Attorney Parker.
