Johnathan G. Edwards was sentenced to 20 years for killing a young Independence couple --Crystal A. Blessing, 18, and Brandon C. Hankins, 20 -- at U.S. 24 and Noland back in 2006. Edwards was not only speeding, but drunk when the crash happened. He told police that he'd had at least eight beers before the wreck. Edwards pleaded guilty; he could've gotten 30 years.
From one of Greg's posts at the time:
Hankins had proposed to Blessing on the night of her senior prom, her family said. She graduated this spring with honors from William Chrisman High School. The couple had planned to marry in two years.
The two had known each other for 13 years and were classmates at Chrisman.
