MIAMI – A South Florida disc jockey accused of driving under the influence in a Coral Gables crash that killed a couple two years ago has been found guilty.
It took jurors a little more than two hours to convict Ervens Prudent on two counts each of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide Friday.
A jury of two men and four women found that Prudent, who is also known as DJ AOL, was intoxicated when the Toyota Corolla he was driving slammed into another car stopped at a Coral Gables intersection in June 2013. Maria Martinez, 44, and Marlon Gutierrez, 34, were killed in the crash.
During his trial, Prudent testified on his own behalf, claiming that he fell asleep while driving home from a friend's wedding. Prudent said he had a vodka and Sprite and two glasses of champagne at the wedding, but he denied being intoxicated.
Ed O'Donnell, Prudent's attorney, said he was "disappointed" by the verdict.
"It's just a shame that this happened," O'Donnell said.
Prudent was remanded into custody. He faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 18.
"No one's winning here," Martinez's daughter, Yuri Blen, said after the verdict. "We all lost someone."
Follow John Turchin on Twitter @johnturchin
Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10