Garland drunk driver who killed girl, 13, accepts plea deal for 17 years in prison

Yahoo

18-02-2025

The Brief
Jeremy Spencer accepted a 17-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal for killing 13-year-old Brooklyn Moran in 2022 while driving drunk.
On Monday, Spencer pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. All the sentences will run concurrently for a total of 17 years.
Spencer will be formally sentenced on March 3.
As part of his plea deal, Spencer will be eligible for parole.
GARLAND, Texas - A Garland man who was drunk when he struck an SUV head-on, killing a teenager, took a plea deal nearly three years after the crash.
The girl's family is heartbroken that he was even allowed to take a plea deal.
What we know
In 2022, 13-year-old Brooklyn Moran was killed when she was hit by Jeremy Spencer, who was drunk behind the wheel of his SUV.
Monday morning, Spencer accepted a plea deal for a 17-year prison sentence.
The Dallas County District Attorney's Office says the intoxication manslaughter penalty range was 2-20 years.
Spencer also pleaded guilty to two counts of intoxication assault for injuring Brooklyn's mother, Brittney Moran, and a young friend in the vehicle.
Spencer pleaded to two 10-year sentences for those crimes, but they'll run concurrently with the 17.
As part of his plea deal, Spencer will be eligible for parole.
Dig deeper
At the time of the crash, Spencer did not have an eligible driver's license because of a previous DWI conviction in Collin County.
Since the crash, he's mostly been out on bond even while accused of violating bond by failing drug test patches for cocaine and methamphetamine and being at unauthorized locations.
What's next
Spencer will be formally sentenced on March 3.
What they're saying
Brittney and David Moran will have the opportunity to face their daughter's killer at his sentencing hearing and formally tell him how they feel.
"We are prepared for it. We are ready for it," said Brittney. "We have an idea. We just have to get mentally prepared for it."
FOX 4 spoke with Brittney after she first got out of the hospital. She was driving but did not recall the crash. Spencer crossed a center line and hit their SUV head-on in Garland.
"I don't even remember getting hit," she said in a March 2023 interview. "Next thing I know, I wake up at the hospital like 4 or 5 days later and didn't even know I was in a wreck."
Brittney was wheeled on a stretcher to Brooklyn's funeral.
Now, Brittney says she's ready to face her daughter's killer and finally get some closure.
"You never heal and move on from grieving and stuff," she said.
The Source
Information in this article comes from Dallas County court records, interviews with the victim's parents and previous FOX 4 coverage.