District Attorney (DA) Keith Higgins announces the acceptance of a guilty plea in a 2020 vehicular homicide case.
On August 26, 2022, Brandon Eugene Mack, 35, from Ellenwood, GA, pled guilty to Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree and Hit and Run, both felonies. The charges stem from an accident that occurred on December 25, 2020, at approximately 4:30 am, wherein William Snyder, 45, of Norfolk, VA, along with his wife Megan, two-year old son and twelve-year old nephew, were travelling southbound on I-95, heading to Florida for Christmas. Mrs. Snyder had recently taken over driving when a vehicle driven by Branden Eugene Mack rear-ended the Snyder’s vehicle. The Snyder’s vehicle hit the guard rail and flipped over multiple times. William Snyder was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He died on scene from blunt impact trauma to his head and neck. No one else was seriously injured in the collision, including Mack.
The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigated the accident. They were able to determine that Mack was travelling at a speed over 120 miles per hour at the time of collision. A bottle of tequila was found in his front passenger compartment. A search warrant obtained for his blood showed his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) 6 hours after the collision was .178; therefore, his estimated BAC at the time of the collision was .268. In Georgia, a person is legally impaired at a BAC of .08; so Mack was more than three times the legal limit.
Following the collision, Megan Snyder, unable to initially find her husband, approached Mack who was standing by his vehicle and asked him for help. He refused. He then walked away from the scene. Mack approached a driver who had stopped to assist and told the driver “he didn’t do nothing.” When the driver went to get his phone to call 911, Mack told him not to call 911, and asked to get in his car to drive away. When the driver refused, Mack offered him money. Mack then continued to walk southbound on I-95. Mack then made contact with a second driver who had stopped and knocked on her window. He told her “you guys never saw me.”
Mack was eventually found by law enforcement walking southbound on the interstate and was arrested. Mack had three prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Following entry of a non-negotiated guilty plea as to his sentencing, Superior Court Judge Roger B. Lane, sentenced Mack to the maximum of 15 years in prison for the Felony Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree, followed by an additional 5 years on probation for the Felony Hit and Run, to run consecutive to the prison sentence.
Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.
