FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
November 17, 2011
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Suzanne Webb (334) 242-7351
Jeff Sommer (334) 242-2199
Page 1 of 1
AG ANNOUNCES CONVICTION OF ANDALUSIA MAN
FOR MANSLAUGHTER IN DEATHS FROM WRECK
(MONTGOMERY)— Attorney General Luther Strange announced that an Andalusia
man has been found guilty of manslaughter for the deaths of two women in a 2007 automobile
crash in Covington County. David Worth Wiltshire, 49, was convicted by a jury in Covington
County Circuit Court yesterday following a trial that began on Monday. The victims are
Christie Wright Still of Evergreen who was 34 and Deanna K. Ingram Van Gieson of Theodore.
“I am pleased that this jury reached a verdict that holds this defendant responsible for
the decisions and actions he took that tragically cut short the lives of two women,” said
Attorney General Strange.
Witnesses testified that Wiltshire was driving recklessly and speeding on U.S. Highway
84 in the city of River Falls on March 1, 2007, when his vehicle crossed over the centerline into
the westbound lane and struck a vehicle driven by Van Gieson. Still was a passenger in
Wiltshire’s car and she died at the scene. Van Gieson died two days later at Andalusia Regional
Hospital. State troopers calculated that Wiltshire was driving 73 miles per hour and that the
other vehicle was going 45 miles per hour.
The Attorney General’s Office presented evidence at trial to show that Wiltshire was
driving under the influence of a controlled substance, driving with a revoked license, driving
recklessly, speeding, and on the wrong side of the road. One witness testified that he had
swerved to keep his car from being hit by Wiltshire before crashing into Van Gieson’s vehicle.
Wiltshire faces a potential penalty of two to 20 years imprisonment for each of the two
counts of manslaughter, a class B felony. Sentencing is set for January 10, 2012.
The case was initially presented to grand jury by the Covington County District
Attorney’s Office with an indictment returned in September of 2007. The prosecution was
subsequently handled by the Attorney General’s Office at the request of the District Attorney’s
Office.
Attorney General Strange commended those involved in bringing this case to a
successful conclusion noting in particular Assistant Attorneys General Ben Baxley and Kelly
Hawkins of the Violent Crimes Division and special agents of the Investigations Division. He
also thanked the Alabama State Troopers, the Covington County District Attorney’s Office and
the Andalusia Police Department.
–30–
501 Washington Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
