TAVARES, Fla. — The man who was drunk and behind the wheel when he killed his two sons on Easter Eve 2022 has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
David Shawn Pelfrey, 25, of Fruitland Park, was picked up on a warrant in February 2024, nearly two years after the crash that killed his sons, Damian, 4, and Dominic, 2, and seriously injured their brother, Daylen, 1.
Pelfrey was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle without a driver’s license causing death; he was scheduled to stand trial May 11 and pleaded no contest May 4, according to court records.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by six years probation. His driver’s license has been revoked for life.
In a 2024 interview with Inside Lake, the boys’ mom, Miranda Martin, said, “I just want my boys to be remembered, I had to patiently wait for this day to come and for an arrest to be made.”
“Damian was a very intelligent child and extremely mischievous and mature for his age, he loved (play) guns, and I would go as far as saying he was obsessed with them and had a collection of nerf guns, he was as much of a daddy’s boy as he was a mama’s boy. Dominic, he was my mini and a wholehearted mama’s boy, he loved dinosaurs and he thought he was a dinosaur we called him Dino-Dom. He was goofy and always happy and so destructive. My children were amazing boys, and they deserve to be remembered and I’m glad they’re finally getting justice.”
Shortly before 5:45 p.m. April 16, 2022, Pelfrey, who did not have a valid license, was driving a red 2011 Kia Optima westbound on State Road 46 near Wekiva Pines Road in Sorrento and passing vehicles in a no-passing zone, the Florida Highway Patrol said in 2022. The Kia entered the eastbound lane and the path of a blue 2011 Toyota Tundra pickup truck being driven by Carey David Duryea, of Lake Mary. Duryea took evasive action, according to witnesses, and traveled onto the south shoulder. Pelfrey traveled onto the same shoulder and struck the Tundra head-on, causing it to overturn and catch fire. The impact ejected Damian Pelfrey and his little brother, Dominic Shane Pelfrey from the Optima and they were both pronounced deceased on the scene. Their younger brother, Daylen Scott Pelfrey, then just 1 year old, was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.
Pelfrey, and another passenger, Justice Marie Lavery were transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford along with Duryea, Natalio Ramirez Velazquez and Olinto Garcia. Aldrin Greeis Perez Rodriguez and Marvin Armando were transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares.
Witnesses told FHP Pelfrey was driving between 65 and 75 miles per hour and one witness said she could smell alcohol when she went to the car to check on the occupants following the crash, according to a probable affidavit.
Troopers later traveled to Sanford to speak to Pelfrey and obtain a blood sample and he refused. They obtained a search warrant for Pelfrey’s blood, and it was drawn twice, at 2:15 a.m. and 2:16 a.m. April 17, 2022—nearly nine hours after the crash. A test performed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed the presence of fentanyl, THC and hydromorphone in his system. That test did not show the presence of alcohol, but FHP secured a search warrant for medical blood taken at 7:59 p.m. April 16, 2022, about two hours after the crash. That blood sample, tested using enzymatic testing, showed Pelfrey had a blood alcohol level (BAL) of .135, more than 1.5 times the legal limit.
The sample was also sent to the University of Florida Pathology Laboratories, which used chromatograph testing. Its test showed Pelfrey’s BAL was .102 and did not show the presence of drugs.
Pelfrey remained in the Lake County Jail after his arrest until he entered his no contest plea and was sentenced. He has since been transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections to begin serving his 12-year sentence.
Previous stories: Dad Arrested for DUI Crash that Killed 2 Toddler Sons and Injured Another Son on Easter Eve ’22 – Inside Lake
