JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to hear a post-conviction appeal from a Starkville man sentenced to 35 years for a fatal crash in 2008 on the Mississippi State University campus that killed a young woman and injured two others.
Joshua Buckner pleaded guilty in 2009 in Oktibbeha County to charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and three counts of aggravated DUI.
Prosecutors said Buckner was driving a vehicle that crashed near the MSU campus on April 26, 2008, killing passenger 20-year-old Charlesy Collins and injuring two other passengers. Authorities said Buckner fled the scene.
The state Court of Appeals turned down Buckner’s petition last year.
Buckner wants a new trial on arguments alleging that receiving multiple convictions for one act of drunk driving violates the double jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The clause bars multiple punishments for the same offense.
The Appeals Court said state law provides a defendant may be convicted of a separate count of aggravated DUI for each death or injury arising out of a single incident. The court said there was no violation of the double jeopardy clause.
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