Guilty Plea In Crash That Killed 'Millionaire' Author

SMYRNA-VININGS, GA -- A Marietta man has pleaded guilty to drinking while under the influence and causing the wreck which killed the author of a popular book, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Jeffrey Robert Fettig, 45, pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle in the first degree and driving under the influence on Thursday afternoon and received an 8-year prison sentence and a 7-year probation term, according to the office.

Fettig was drunk behind the wheel of a 2006 Acura MDX on the night of Feb. 28 when he t-boned a 2013 Chevrolet driven by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. Stanley, 71, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Fettig had been drinking in Buckhead before eating at an East Cobb restaurant, according to the attorney’s office. The manager of the East Cobb restaurant ordered his staff to stop giving Fettig drinks and refused to let Fettig drive drunk, but Fettig drove away when the manager was called to another situation. The wreck occurred a half-mile from the restaurant.

“This defendant didn’t set out to cause destruction, but bad choice after bad choice after bad choice resulted in the loss of a life and many more forever changed,” ADA Theresa Schiefer said in court. “No amount of punishment can bring back Dr. Stanley, but this sentence will serve as a measure of justice to allow the victims to start their next chapter.”

Stanley wrote the break-out bestseller “The Millionaire Next Door” in 1996. The book promoted the idea that millionaires that had worked to earned their fortunes did not buy fancy clothes and brand new cars like those who inherited their wealth are known to do.