Man Who Flung Himself From A Moving Car, Causing A Deadly Crash, Sentenced: Douglas Co. DA

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A 45-year-old man was sentenced to prison after Douglas County prosecutors say him jumping out of a moving car led to a fatal crash on I-20 west near Fairburn Road.

The Douglas County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday said a grand jury recently found Kristopher Graf guilty of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and other charges.

Graf's conviction is in connection to a Jan. 14, 2022 incident on I-20 near Exit. 37. Graf and his wife, Stacy Edwards, were intoxicated when they were driving home after heavily drinking at an evening event in Atlanta, prosecutors said.

Edwards testified that Graf began drinking before they left home, prosecutors said.

The two began to argue during the trip home. Graf, who was a passenger, "flung himself from the moving vehicle" while Edwards traveled at about 80 mph, prosecutors said.

A semi-truck swerved to avoid hitting Graf, who was laying in the middle of the interstate, prosecutors said. When the semi-truck tried to move to the emergency lane, a passenger van carrying five people hit the back of the truck, prosecutors said.

The van then spun out of control, and two people were ejected from the van, prosecutors said. One of the two people died at the scene, and the other ejected passenger did not suffer any physical injuries, prosecutors said.

A third passenger in the van also died of his injuries at the scene, while a fourth passenger was severely injured, prosecutors said.

The driver of the van suffered severe injuries, with his left leg having to be amputated, prosecutors said.

The semi-truck's driver was not physically harmed, prosecutors said.

Edwards was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, and a blood alcohol test indicated she had a blood alcohol content of 0.174, twice the legal limit of 0.08, prosecutors said.

Graf was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries. He was later arrested for the various charges he faced.

Edwards previously pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence and was sentenced to 12 months on probation with the first 24 hours incarcerated in exchange for her testimony at Graf's trial, prosecutors said.

Douglas County Chief Superior Court Judge Cynthia Adams sentenced Graf to 20 years in prison to be followed by 48 months of probation, prosecutors said.

“While this verdict will not bring back the lives lost or heal the life-altering injuries caused, we hope that the jury’s finding will help on their journey to find peace and healing," Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a news release. "We appreciate the diligence of our team and law enforcement in securing the verdict that allowed the Douglas County citizens to return a verdict that spoke the truth about what happened that day.”