Truck Driver in Tracy Morgan Car Crash Pleads Guilty
The Walmart truck driver who crashed into a vehicle carrying Tracy Morgan and several others pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated assault, The Associated Press reports.
Kevin Roper previously pleaded not guilty to different charges, but entered a new plea deal in New Jersey Superior Court Tuesday. According to the terms of the deal, Roper could avoid jail time and have his record expunged if he completes 300 hours of community service and participates in a three-year pre-trial intervention program. Roper was eligible for the program because he had no prior criminal record.
“It puts his future in his own hands,” Roper’s attorney, David Glassman said, per the Daily News. “He’s led an exemplary life up until that one mistake. And, assuming it’s going to go forward like that, he has his destiny in his own hands, and he won’t have a record.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the June 2014 crash, Roper had been awake for more than 28 hours prior to the crash and was traveling 20 miles over the speed limit. Morgan and three others were severely injured in the crash, while the former Saturday Night Live star’s friend, comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair, was killed. In 2015, both Morgan and McNair’s family settled separate lawsuits with Walmart.
Earlier this month, Morgan said that he had forgiven Roper during an interview on Conan. “I’m not even mad at him no more,” Morgan said, before quickly joking: “But you know who is mad at him? All my white neighbors.”
Following an extensive recovery, Morgan returned to the stage this year, hosting Saturday Night Live and embarking on a nationwide stand-up tour. In October, Morgan was tapped to star in a new TBS comedy co-created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri, while he’s also set to appear in the 2017 movie, Fist Fight.