Judge Herbert Dixon sentenced Lloyd Bright to seven and a half years in prison Friday in connection with the 2012 death of 61-year-old Darryl Eugene Sweet.
“We can talk about this being an accident, this being not intended,” Dixon said. “But it is compounded by the fact that you have killed somebody before.”
Bright had been previously convicted for voluntary manslaughter in a different case prior to Sweet’s death. At sentencing Friday Bright appeared remorseful and apologetic.
“I feel real bad about the whole situation. I liked Darryl,” Bright said. “I accept total responsibility for what happened.”
Sweet was found by police on July 26, 2012 at approximately 10:06 p.m. on the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue Northeast unconscious and unresponsive. He was transported to a local hospital where it was determined that he was suffering from an internal head wound; Sweet died the next day from blunt force trauma to the head. His death was ruled a homicide. Two months later Bright, 45, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
In August, Bright pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with Sweet’s death. In exchange prosecutors dropped the initial charge of second-degree murder and recommended a sentence anywhere from six to eight years in prison. In entering his plea, Bright said he and Sweet were both on drugs at the time of the incident and that he didn’t know that Sweet had died until the next day.
Plea documents state that surveillance video captured Bright approaching Sweet in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue, then Sweet lying on the sidewalk. Bright told detectives that he and Sweet were having an argument moments before he hit Sweet with an open hand, causing Sweet to fall.
Sentence documents have been added to this post below.
