EVERETT — A Snohomish County jury was convinced that a Camano Island man was behind the wheel of a car that crashed in 2010, killing a Stanwood teenager.
Garrett Turski, 21, was convicted Wednesday of vehicular homicide in the death of Ellen Rose Floyd, 17. Turski faces up to three years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 7.
Prosecutors alleged that Turski was speeding and drunk when he lost control of his convertible Ford Mustang on Old Highway 99 north of Stanwood. The car left the road, vaulted over a ditch, struck some trees and landed back on the road.
Floyd was ejected from the car. She died at the scene.
Firefighters found Turski in the trunk. Detectives found a hole in the rear deck area of the car and believe Turski was thrown into the trunk when the car crashed.
Turski, then 19, was taken to the hospital where his blood was drawn for tests. The results showed that he had a .11 blood-alcohol level, court papers said.
The defense argued that Turski wasn’t driving, saying that Floyd was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Turski told jurors that he didn’t remember anything from the night of the crash.
Witnesses told investigators that Turski and some friends were drinking alcohol in the hours leading up to the crash. A home video surveillance camera shows Turski leaving a friend’s house with Floyd at about 4:05 a.m. Turski was captured on video surveillance a few minutes later at a gas station purchasing cigarettes. The camera showed Turski’s car leaving the store about 90 seconds later. It appeared that he was driving and Floyd was in the passenger seat, court papers said.
A witness to the crash estimated that the Mustang was traveling about 100 mph.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
> Give us your news tips. > Send us a letter to the editor. > More Herald contact information.Talk to us
