NEW YORK – A verdict has been reached in a manslaughter case against a casino bus driver charged in a horrific crash last year that killed 15 passengers.
The fate of Ophadell Williams will be revealed in court on Friday. He's been charged with 15 counts of manslaughter in the March 12, 2011 crash in the Bronx.
Williams has pleaded not guilty. He says a tractor-trailer cut him off and he lost control. The bus carrying gamblers coming from a Connecticut casino was sheared open like a sardine can when it struck a pole.
Prosecutors say Williams was so recklessly exhausted and sleep deprived, it was as if he was drunk. If convicted, he faces 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Jurors reached their verdict Thursday, but one had to leave.
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