Press Release

June 20, 2013

Drunk Driver Sentenced To 15 Years For Causing Crash That Killed Toddler
For immediate release A 42-year-old drunk driver was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for causing a car accident that killed a 2year-old child. A McLennan County jury deliberated about an hour and a half before convicting David Michael Martin of intoxication manslaughter with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors presented evidence that on the evening of October 15, 2011, David Shepherd, Jr., the father of the child, was bringing his 2-yearold daughter, Ivyana, home after taking her to meet her new baby sister at the hospital. After turning onto Bagby Avenue from Corporation Parkway, their car was rear-ended by Martins truck that was reportedly going up to 88 mph in the 50 mph speed limit. The accident caused major damage to the car and killed the 2-year-old child, who was in the back seat. Martins blood alcohol concentration was .32, four times the legal limit, at the time he was treated at the hospital after the accident. The jury deliberated for an hour and forty minutes before sentencing Martin. Martin was eligible for probation and faced up to 20 years in prison. Martin will have to serve half his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Abelino Abel Reyna

Criminal District Attorney McLennan County, Texas 219 N. 6th Street, Suite 200 Waco, Texas 76701 Phone: 254-757-5084 Fax: 254-757-5021

We hope this verdict provides some measure of closure to the Shepherd family. We hope that we were able to give the jury a small glimpse of what Ivyana Shepherd meant to this world. Her death was a needless result of a selfish choice made by the Defendant, David Martin. This verdict should serve as a message to anyone else who chooses to drink and drive in McLennan County. - Amanda Dillon, Assistant District Attorney