Willsey takes plea deal, request for bail denied
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Cathy Perfect
Kern Valley Sun
Daniel Patrick Willsey, defendant in the three-year-old criminal case in the death of Kern County sheriff’s deputy Joe Hudnall, accepted a plea bargain Wednesday on one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence of drugs. The deal could land the 49-year-old Montrose attorney in prison for up to six years.
Willsey faced up to 16 years, eight months in prison on charges of vehicular homicide driving under the influence of drugs, and various firearms charges, but he agreed to a final plea bargain offer by prosecutor Melissa Allen.
Deputy Hudnall died in a crash in the Kern Canyon in November 2006 when his patrol car was hit head-on by Willsey.
Willsey had been free on $175,000 bail for most of the last three years. On Wednesday, Kern County Superior Court Judge Gary T. Friedman ordered Willsey taken into custody, pending a bail hearing Dec. 24.
In the Thursday morning bail hearing, Hudnall's widow read a statement to the court why she thought Willsey should not be allowed bail.
“I understand it is Christmas Eve, and I'm sure he would like to spend his last holiday with his family before he is sentenced to prison,” Hudnall said. “But, was my husband given the same option to visit and say goodbye to his family before he was ultimately sentenced to die?”
Judge Friedman denied bail and Willsey was remanded into custody to await sentencing on Jan. 29.
Abbreviated timeline of events
Nov. 14, 2006: Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Hudnall, 43, is killed in a head-on collision in the Kern River Canyon after his sheriff's SUV plummets down a steep canyon ravine. Grace Brown, 18, a prisoner in Hudnall's custody, is injured. Daniel Patrick Willsey, now 49, a Los Angeles-area attorney, is the driver of the BMW that collides with Hudnall. Willsey is arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and other charges. A loaded, sawed-off shotgun was found in his car.
Nov. 15, 2006: Willsey has a history of traffic convictions and alcohol problems. A reckless driving conviction with the apparent involvement of alcohol in 1997 led to disciplinary action by the California State Bar Association.
Nov. 28, 2006: Willsey is released from custody, but the case remains under investigation pending results from drug toxicology tests.
April 5, 2007: Willsey is rearrested after the District Attorney's office files charges, including vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated; driving under the influence of meth causing great bodily injury; and transporting meth while armed with a loaded firearm. Willsey remains free on $175,000 bail.
Spring 2007: A CHP accident reconstruction team determines that Hudnall was speeding at 68 mph, while Willsey was driving at 32 mph. Hudnall was not wearing a seat belt. But CHP investigators say Hudnall's speed was not a factor in the crash because Willsey's car crossed into the oncoming lane.
Spring 2007: Willsey files a $5 million claim against the county of Kern for his injuries, loss of his vehicle and damage to his career and reputation, asserting the accident was Hudnall's fault.
Oct. 22, 2007: Grace Brown files a personal injury lawsuit against Willsey.
Nov. 13, 2007: Hudnall's widow, Carrie Hudnall, files a lawsuit naming Willsey, the state of California and the state Department of Transportation. The suit claims the passing zone at the accident scene is not long enough.
Feb. 15, 2008: Willsey is taken into custody by a bail bondsman who claims Willsey was planning to leave the country. Willsey is released days later.
April 2008: New defense attorney cites a report confirming a Hudnall family friend who works at the district attorney's crime lab handled Willsey's blood sample.
Aug. 21, 2008: Kern prosecutor Robert Murray reveals crucial evidence in the case against Willsey is missing from the district attorney's crime lab. Lab director Vernon Kyle says Willsey's blood sample was destroyed by lab personnel in December 2007.
Aug. 25, 2008: Kyle acknowledges that the toxicology report from the Kern lab differs significantly from the findings of a lab in Clovis, which also tested a sample of Willsey's blood.
Dec. 10: A judge ruled that the D.A.'s staff will remain the prosecution on the case after hearing a motion to remove local prosecutors from the case. The judge said there was no conflict of interest that would deprive Willsey of a fair trial.
Dec. 23: Willsey accepts a plea to gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence of drugs. The maximum sentence would be six years in prison. Seven other drug and weapon charges were dismissed.
