Georgia man was drunk and reckless in Memorial Day boat crash that killed 5: indictment
A Georgia man was indicted for homicide on Wednesday for allegedly killing five people in an alcohol-fueled Memorial Day weekend boat crash.
Mark Stegall allegedly sent his passengers into the Wilmington River in Savannah after colliding with another boat on the morning of May 28.
The 45-year-old defendant was drunkenly and recklessly driving on the wrong side of the river, a joint investigation by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Chatham County District Attorney found.
Four of the dead were passengers on Stegall’s boat and were members of the same family: Christopher Leffler, 51, his wife Lori Leffler, 50, and their sons Zachary Leffler, 23, and Nathan Leffler, 17.
The family’s daughter, Katie Leffler, survived the crash.
Robert Chauncey, a 37-year-old passenger on the other boat, also died in the crash.
Stegall was charged with 10 counts of homicide by vessel.
A spokesperson from the Chatham County DA’s Office could not tell the Post why Stegall faces double the amount of homicide charges than the number of people who were killed while the case was still active.
“We don’t comment on active cases because we don’t want to affect the integrity of the ongoing case,” Deputy Chief Nathanael E. Wright said.
In addition to the homicide charges, Stegall also faces six counts of first-degree injury by vessel, operating a vessel under the influence and reckless operation of a vessel.
