Two Pleas Accepted in Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree Cases: State v. Madisyn Anne Culpepper
and State v. Austin Blake Moore
8 April 2022
District Attorney (DA) Keith Higgins announces the entry of guilty pleas in two vehicular homicide cases.
On April 8, 2022, Madisyn Anne Culpepper, 24, from Glynn County, pled guilty to Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree and Hit and Run, both felonies. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on February 3, 2019. On that date, Culpepper was at her brother’s residence on Lakes Drive in Brunswick for a Super Bowl party. Culpepper was consuming alcoholic beverages at the party and had been drinking earlier that day at a bar. Later that evening, Culpepper left the party and drove a vehicle east on Lakes Drive. While on Lakes Drive, Culpepper crossed into the westbound lane of travel and struck Jacob Butts, 15, of Brunswick, as he was skateboarding on that side of the road. Butts was slammed into the windshield of the vehicle, vaulted over it and came to rest in a ditch beside the road. Culpepper failed to stop after the crash and continued driving to Baumgardner Road and GA Hwy 520, where she was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. At the scene of the second collision, Culpepper was arrested and transported to Glynn County Detention Center where a breath test showed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.22. Butts died at the scene. The incident was investigated by both the Glynn County Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team.
Following entry of the guilty plea, Judge Stephen G. Scarlett, Sr. sentenced Culpepper to 15 years, 8 years to serve in prison, with the remainder to be served on probation for the Homicide by Vehicle charge and 5 years to serve in prison for the Hit and Run charge.
On the same date, Austin Blake Moore, 20, pled guilty to Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree and Serious Injury by Vehicle, both felonies. The charges stem from an incident that occurred during the early morning hours of May 12, 2019. At approximately 0230 hours, GCPD Officer Dumas was running stationary radar at US Hwy 520 and West Flanders Drive in Glynn County. Moore and another individual were racing their vehicles along that roadway, and the officer clocked the vehicle speeds at 103 mph in a 55 mph zone. The officer turned on his lights and siren to pursue the vehicles, and Moore attempted to flee, making a sharp turn onto Ratcliffe Road, ultimately hitting a wooden fence and crashing his vehicle. One of the vehicle passengers, Kylie Burgess, 14 years old, died at the scene, and the other passenger, Armen Jordan, then 18 years old, suffered multiple facial fractures and was airlifted to University of Florida-Shands hospital.
Following entry of the guilty plea, Judge Stephen D. Kelley sentenced Moore to 15 years, with 8 years to serve in prison and the remaining 7 years on probation for the Homicide by Vehicle charge. For the Serious Injury by Vehicle charge, Moore was sentenced to 15 years to be served concurrent with the first charge, 8 years to serve in prison, followed by 7 years probation.
Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.