A Riviera Beach man is facing a DUI manslaughter charge more than two years after a high-speed crash along Interstate 95 killed a 2-year-old child riding in his vehicle.
Investigators arrested Marvin Fleurizard, 30, on Dec. 1, also charging him with driving without a valid license causing death or serious injury.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Fleurizard veered off the highway south of 45th Street in West Palm Beach and struck a tree at about 100 mph early on Sept. 26, 2023. The force of the wreck fatally injured the child, investigators allege. The report did not identify the child.
A test done after the crash found Fleurizard’s blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the state threshold for intoxication. It also detected the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. A search of state records indicated Fleurizard may never have obtained a driver’s license.
During a hearing on Dec. 2 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele set bail at $350,000 and ordered that Fleurizard be placed on in-house arrest upon his release. He remained in custody as of Dec. 4, according to jail records. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
FHP: Vehicle topped speeds of 100 mph seconds before crash
Investigators allege Fleurizard’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100 mph in the moments before the crash. Their report did not specify either the type or model of vehicle.
According to the arrest report, his vehicle veered off I-95, went through grass and bushes and struck a tree before coming to a stop on Village Boulevard. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue medics freed Fleurizard from the driver’s seat, and FHP investigators took him to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Troopers began a DUI investigation after observing open bottles of alcohol near the driver’s door and the smell of burned marijuana inside the vehicle. Toxicology results revealed that Fleurizard had a blood-alcohol level of 0.163, according to the arrest report. Florida’s threshold of intoxication is 0.08.
It took investigators more than a year to obtain enough DNA to link Fleurizard to the crash, court records show.
Nearly a month after the crash, investigators obtained a warrant for samples to compare with evidence from the crash site. However, a September 2024 analysis indicated they had collected too little DNA.
This past May, following multiple attempts to obtain additional DNA, investigators linked Fleurizard to DNA recovered from the driver’s side airbag, according to the arrest report. In October, investigators obtained a warrant to examine the event’s data recorder.
The data showed that Fleurizard reached a speed of 103 mph in the seconds before the crash.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FHP: Drunken driver topped 100 mph in I-95 crash that killed toddler
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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