While going to a drug deal, a man drunkenly killed a CCU student. Now he’ll go to prison.
A 33-year-old, on his way to a drug deal, drunkenly crashed into and killed a CCU student trying to cross a highway in 2016. Three years later, a judge sentenced the man behind the wheel to 20 years behind bars.
On Wednesday, a jury convicted Edward Lee Joseph Washington of DUI resulting in death. The jury acquitted Washington of a charge of hit-and-run with death, Senior Assistant Solicitor Josh Holford said.
Lee was driving toward Conway around 1 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2016, investigators said. Bielawa, 19, was trying to cross S.C 544 near CCU’s campus when Washington hit him.
During a statement to police, Washington said he was traveling to a drug deal at the time of the collision, Holford said. Washington’s blood alcohol content was .239, nearly three times the .08 legal driving limit, according to investigators. Washington did not immediately stop and then got in a fight with some witnesses.
Bielawa was a sophomore who was studying finance. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
During sentencing, Bielawa’s mother, Mary Ellen, called for the maximum 25-year sentence.
“Losing Ryan has devastated my life and his brother Kevin’s life. It’s always been just the three of us,” she said, according to a news release from the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office. “My son was a beautiful person.”
“He had so much life to give, so much to achieve … and that’s all gone because Mr. Washington made a choice to get behind the wheel,” Kevin Bielawa, his brother, said according to the release. “Ryan was my only sibling and my best friend.”
Holford said he spoke to the Bielawa family after the hearing, and while the verdict won’t bring the 19-year-old back, it does provide a sense of justice.
“It’s been a long process for the victim’s family,” Holford said.
This story was originally published June 5, 2019 at 5:51 PM.
