Drunk driver gets 6 years for killing cyclist

| 03/07/2019 | 85 Comments
Wilfred Myles Jr

(CNS): Wilfred Ellington Myles Jr (28) has been given a six-year prison term and a ten-year driving ban for killing Ignacio Kirzner (21) in April of this year in a drunken early morning collision. As Justice Roger Chapple handed down the sentence on Wednesday, he described Myles as a “menace on the roads” and said he was going to do what he could to keep him off them for as long as possible. The judge said that Myles was “grossly intoxicated” when he hit Kirzner and “emphatically should not have been behind the wheel”.

The judge noted that Myles was on a curfew in relation to other offences, was already disqualified from driving and not insured when he took his girlfriend’s SUV in the early hours of the morning of the collision, in which Kirzner lost his life as he cycled to work along North Church Street. Following his arrest several hours after the crash, Myles was still more than two and a half times over the legal alcohol limit for drivers.

The judge said that no one who read it could fail to be moved by the letter given to the court by the young man’s family, where it was apparent that he was their pride and joy. As he offered his condolences to them, he said it was clear that Kirzner was a kind, responsible and humble young man who had been in Cayman just a few months and was excited about his future.

As Justice Chapple explained his sentencing decision, he said he placed the case in the more serious category, and given that the maximum sentence in the Cayman Islands for causing death by dangerous driving is ten years, he determined that nine years was appropriate, as there were few mitigating circumstances. However, given that Myles had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had shown genuine remorse, he was entitled to the full credit of one third.

The judge added a number of much shorter sentences to the toll for Myles’ other traffic offences, but he said they would run concurrently with the six-year term for the main offence. He then issued the decade-long driving ban, beginning when Myles is released from jail, doubling the mandatory disqualification period for the offence.

As an added measure, he ordered that once the ten-year ban is complete, he must re-take a driving test and pass it before he is once again allowed behind the wheel.

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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (85)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Not just drunk, but also high on drugs (which oddly seems to carry no additional mention or penalty), disqualified from driving, in someone else’s car, while released on bail for other serious legal matters pending. 6 years for the manslaughter, and we hope the judge tacks on a few more for the other serious matters still before the court. There must be more time coming his way.

    • Anonymous says:

      Driving without permission, in a stolen car, he also premeditatively crossed over to the opposite lane of travel, specifically to see if he could run down this poor cyclist, like he was playing Grand Theft Auto on his Playstation. I don’t know how our prosecution team can breeze over these many aggravating factors, and then have a judge discount 30% for an 11th hour guilty plea, noting the criminal had earlier been sufficiently aware to flee the scene and avoided surrender to police. If anybody else murders someone with a handgun while drunk or high, it is still murder. Not a 6 yr manslaughter, disregarding other factors, and out in 4 with good behavior.

  2. Mikey says:

    He a be Braccanal next year watch!!!

  3. Anonymous says:

    The comments show that racism is alive and well. Praise the lord we have fair minded Judges who know how to get reparations without anybody knowing about it. This is the only way we can make things even between the races.

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  4. NO says:

    Myles, 29, pleaded guilty last month to causing death by dangerous driving, taking and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance or a certificate of road worthiness.

    But did not plead guilty to the DUI and being 2.5 times over the limit??……

  5. Anonymous says:

    Six years for taking a human life! Dam disgusting! He should serve minimum 20 years.

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  6. Nojustice says:

    He will be back on the road soon to kill someone else. Sad to say. This was not justice for the life he stole.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    One less central idiot off the road!

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  8. Anonymous says:

    https://caymannewsservice.com/2016/07/crash-lawyer-jailed-for-3-years/comment-page-1/#comments

    Simon Courtney; white, middle-aged, expatriate, professional who committed the same act as Wilred Myles – driving drunk and striking innocent bystanders.

    Contrast these comments to the following on this very forum:

    “Anonymous says:
    10/07/2016 at 8:26 am
    Reading the comments on CNS is for me, at least, quite disturbing – a truly horrible incident but followed by so much hate directed at the culprit. To me it smacks of a mob mentality. Don’t get me wrong, I loath what he did, any decent-thinking person will, but to focus that revulsion on him to this extent seems somehow not quite right, and in doing so we take away something from who we are, surely?”

    “Anonymous says:
    11/07/2016 at 6:49 am
    I sincerely hope that all of the commenters here who are using words like ‘scum’ and ‘cretin’ etc can say, hand on heart, that they have never got behind the wheel of their car after having a few drinks. I’m sure that some can, but I suspect that the vast majority will regularly have ‘a few beers’ and drive home. It’s just what people do in Cayman, expats and locals alike. You can blame the taxis, lack of decent bus service or whatever you like, but there is a massive drink driving problem on the island. Perhaps this case will serve as a wake up call for a lot of people. A similar thing could happen to any of us, at any time. I, for one, won’t be pushing my luck any more.”

    “Yes, he is what you read he is. So let it rest. He has his sentence. He will do his time. Now, stop the hate messages. His family, especially his wife, will need to reset their lives. Is there anyone on this island who actually stands behind the “Christianity” on which this island is “Founded”?
    Eleanor, peace be with you.
    Simon, you are a devout atheist, I pray you will find God’s love, compassion and forgiveness, but it is your first step. Take it. Admit, ask for forgiveness and start a new life. This is your ‘bottom’, know it.
    Cayman friends, please step up, show who you are.”

    “Anonymous says:
    08/07/2016 at 7:32 pm
    This man should not be in jail. His drivers license should be revoked indefinitely and allowed to continue working in cayman sof he can be made to pay for all the treatments that couple will need relating to that accident for life and on top of that receive all (if any) salaries lost and a large payout for emotion and physical harm. This man will be in jail living off of our tax dollars while that couple still suffer and probably rack up a huge medical bill. That couple nor this country wins when you look at it.”

    “Anonymous says:
    07/07/2016 at 2:33 pm
    There is absolutely no reason for harsh words to be hurled at Mr. Courtney and his wife. His nationality doesn’t matter – all we have to know is that he is a human being! It is obvious that his actions were wrong (no doubt there) and the judge has made his sentencing accordingly. Let us each realize that we have each made mistakes even if not like this – we are not perfect. My prayer is that both victims recover 100% and may Mr. Courtney and his wife get through this difficult time as well. It is a really sad situation! No one wins!”

    Interesting.

    – Whodatis

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    • Datisme says:

      So Courtney didn’t kill anyone and still got three years, meanwhile, others who did kill got a mere 15 months.
      https://www.caymancompass.com/2007/06/27/judge-court-must-deter-drink-driving/

      There’s more where that came from if you need another memory jog Who.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Unfortunately for you, my post was not concerned with sentences but the discrepancy in attitude and sentiments expressed in respect to the crime committed.

        Feel free to send along as many as you wish – but you will still be missing the point of my post.

        – Who

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        • Anonymous says:

          Unfortunately for you, you were trying to play the race game and lost. Again.

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          • Anonymous says:

            As usual Who cherry picking 4 supportive comments from lots of very negative comments about the scum lawyer Courtney. More people wanted that ass locked up a lot longer Who. Get your facts straight. Funny you didn’t reference all the positive comments about Bryce Merren coming home. You know the Caymanian coke felon!

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          • Anonymous says:

            Actually, many would say the referenced excerpts is collective evidence of others “playing the race game” – albeit without mentioning race, of course.

            In today’s world – those are the rules after all; say and do everything discriminatory – just don’t say the word.

            E.g. Trump & The Central Park 5 aka The Exonerated 5.

            – Who

            😉

            *Again, I request of you and your like-minded friends; show me the multiple messages defending Myles in a manner similar to Courtney on this forum and I will gladly stfu.

            Until then, you have nothing to stand on.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Btw, factors other than race were referenced in my post.

            Why are you (and your CNS friends) so caught up on race that you completely missed the others?

            – Who

          • XLM says:

            Key words, “lost again”. Lol.

    • Anonymous says:

      Some selective quoting there. Plenty of people at the time making fairly vitriolic comments about Courtney too – both on his conduct, his general demeanor in professional life, and on the length of the sentence. But I guess that wouldn’t fit with your preferred thesis. Why don’t we just hate on both of them equally – works for me, because perhaps unlike you I don’t much care what the colour or class of the moron that runs over innocent people when he is drunk is.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Just show me the equivalent number of posts defending Myles, compared to Courtney, on this forum and I’ll swiftly stfu.

        – Who

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        • XLM says:

          Sure. All it proves is that Courtney has/had far more LOSERS (friends) in his corner than Wilfred. The majority of dissociated people (not friends of either Courtney or Wilfred) were equally as disgusted (and some, including myself, more), by Courtney’s lies, lack of remorse, and general b.s. that he tried to pull. So again, what is the point to all of this?

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          • Anonymous says:

            its the usual nonsense from who…always looking away from the issue at hand. In his head…two wrongs make a right.

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          • Anonymous says:

            How does any of this “prove” those posters were by his “friends”?

            Again – the classic Slick-Willie machine in full-effect.

            Just know; we see y’all.
            Ok?

            – Who

            • XLM says:

              Ummh, yeah, as usual, same nonsensical drivel that you pretend to pass for intellectual discourse. Blah blah blah, and then some more blah! Good one -Who. Maybe you ought to consider enjoying life a bit more. Take a load off, seem kinda of a glum fellow.

              Just know; we see y’all.
              Ok?

            • XLM says:

              Ummh, genius, who do you think most of them were?

        • Anonymous says:

          So you proved there were four racists in Cayman? zzzzzzzzzz

        • Fair Play says:

          Who – why don’t you cut all your crap and condemn this man for what he is.

    • XLM says:

      And your point is? People were equally as disgusted by Courtney’s actions… In fact, I would argue that many, including myself, were more disgusted, for the fact that he is an attorney, that he ought to have known better, that he LIED, tried to cover things up, etc. As to some of the quotes you posted, yeah, those people are losers too – most likely friends and/or supporters of Courtney, who ought to know better than support the scum of the person that he is. Wilfred, the man who killed Kirzner, is a loser who has wasted his life thus far and killed someone in the process. I have little sympathy for either, though if I were to chose, I’d have more sympathy for Wilfred, who at least had the decency to fess up and show remorse.

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    • Anonymous says:

      what nonsense….there was nothing but widespread condemnation for courtney.
      try harder with your selective cuting and pasting…

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  9. Say it like it is says:

    I have said this many times – the law needs to be changed to allow a judge to disallow the one third discount for a guilty plea. In this case it is a manifest miscarriage of justice.
    Driving bans mean absolutely nothing to many local drivers and there is only ONE way to keep them off the roads, and that is JAIL.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Six years should be the starting point for that hairstyle.

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    • Anonymous says:

      He should have got 20 years, remember the the victim is gone forever and this scum bag will be out jail in 4 1/2years,thats pure bull and should not be so, remember he was in plenty trouble before, banning him from having a license not going to stop him from driving when he gets out, he killed this young man when he did not have a drvers livense

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    • C says:

      It’s not ok to make fun of someone’s appearance even if this man has done something wrong.

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  11. JTB says:

    It’s the correct sentence according to the law as it stands, but a lot of people may consider that the law needs to be changed.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Time for a ‘three strikes rule’ here?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Time for the gallows!

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    • Anonymous says:

      No. Three-strikes rules lead to escalation, even if just in the lies told at court, to avoid the third strike, making the attempted avoidance as bad or worse than the strike at times.

      Longer initial sentences, maybe.
      Better rehabilitation, definitely.
      But long 3rd sentences for relatively minor crimes, which is what happens in other places, just exacerbates those places mass incarceration inequality and social problems.

      Let the judge judge the crime, and the character, at the time.

  13. Anonymous says:

    This was a bad, bad crime. The judges in Cayman need to get serious about their sentences. The judge should have started at 10 years. How could this offense have been any worse? Taking a third off for pleading guilty is too much when there was so much evidence a child could have tried the case. The 10 year driving ban is a joke, we already know he doesn’t care about any ban. Jail is the only thing that will keep him off the street, yet he will be back out in about three years. And why do the sentences for multiple crimes always run together? Instead of giving a free pass for the lesser offenses why not run the sentences back to back so that the guy will spend actual time in jail equal to the judges sentence? If the judges are all mushy, who can protect us?

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  14. Tom says:

    The law here need to be change to simliar in UK law. Any road death by using mobile phone, DUI or careless/dangerous driving, driver will be in jail for life! They have already locked up about 150 people.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    And I’ll bet the 10 year driving ban starts at the same time the prison sentence begins with credit given for any time he spend in the holding cell..

    CNS: As the article clearly states, the driving ban begins when he is released from jail.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Roads here are full of idiots. This guy is a real POS, and an example of the more serious end of the spectrum when it comes to people who shouldn’t be near a vehicle.

    No sentence could possibly make it up to the family of the victim, but this is not any kind of justice.

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Whatever happened with the driver that killed Geoff Cornwall on the ETH last year? Or did that get swept under the carpet quietly? Pulling into a bike lane and stopping when a bike is in that lane is criminal. Bike lanes are for bikes, not for cars, period. How comes we heard nothing on that?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Whatever happened to the driver who killed FederAnn Faustino?

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    • Anonymous says:

      because his death will be considered by misadventure and it is not illegal for vehicles to pull off on the side of the road regardless if it’s in a bike lane, the dude was riding at a high rate of speed without looking where he was going, what if he had ran into someone walking or jogging.

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      • t says:

        look, no one really knows what happened with Geoff. but most of us who have half a brain have assumed he would have looked to ensure he could safely ride the last stretch of road, the driver over took him, and pulled over in front of him with Geoff realizing. The driver would be the only one who would really know and based off his tweets after the accident about how bad of day he was having, I’d question his character and version of the events.
        I don’t know if it’s illegal to pull over in a bike lane or not, but I do know it’s not a smart thing to do, especially when someone is using the bike lane. It happens all the time and forces the cyclists to then have to use the motorway. one of many problems with driver on our roads.

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        • Anonymous says:

          The problem is the education level of drivers-they have to be taught that the bike lanes and hard shoulders are not for driving or doing anything on at all-they are for bikes…

      • Anonymous says:

        10.59, its a bike lane. Only for bikes. No cars, no pedestrians, nothing but bikes. Which bit do you find so hard to understand? Why are you trying to excuse that idiot who “had a bad day”. Guy is a complete moron.

        • Anonymous says:

          I doubt it was gazetted as such, sadly.

        • Anonymous says:

          Just a question here: You’re driving down the road and you get a blowout. There’s a bike lane on the left shoulder. What are you supposed to do? Change the tire in the middle of traffic so you don’t block the bike lane? Or.. what if something (a bird maybe) hits your windscreen and bloodies your ability to see forward. What are you supposed to do? I’m not sure, but I would think pulling over to the shoulder, even if there’s a bike lane, is the correct answer.

    • Anonymous says:

      cayman justice at work….

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    • Anon says:

      Because driver from same country as most police.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Good on you Wilfred for admitting your mistake at the earliest opportunity. 6 years is long but not enough to break you. Hopefully you learn from this hiccup and public transport is on the up and up when you are released. RIP Nacho.

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    • D says:

      We are all capable of making mistakes even the most horrible ones. It is good he realized this and has taken responsibility. I pray for all persons affected by this. I hope now the young man responsible grows to be better which I trust and hope he will do so. Take advantage of the resources that will be available to you.

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    • Anonymous says:

      hiccup,,,?…are you for real???

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  19. Anonymous says:

    easy time for this guy….

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  20. Anonymous says:

    You get a mandatory 10 years for illegally possessing a firearm but only 6 for getting hammered, driving while banned and killing a cyclist – it’s a joke. We need vehicular manslaughter to be added to the laws here.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It’s absolutely appalling. If anyone deserves the maximum sentence it’s this guy…

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    • Anonymous says:

      What a joke,

      I know two Caymanian men, Oscar Watler and Stephen Hurlston, they were charged for drugs found on them … no history of drugs, first time offence, no weapons found on them, et cetera … Guess how much time they got. No evidence of hurting anyone ???

      12 YEARS !

      I’m still wondering is it because they are Caymanians why the sentence was so harsh !

      CNS: For reference, the article on the sentencing is here: Amateur cocaine dealers get 12½ years in jail

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    • Terrible says:

      Banned from driving, drunk, stolen vehicle and a long rap sheet with the police! He was always drunk and driving. He kills an innocent man LEAVES THE SCEAN WHILE THE MAN IS DYING and he only gets 6 years. Where is the Justice for this poor man and his family??!

      I can’t believe I just read a comment where someone supporting this guy says “this is just a hiccup”! HE KILLED SOMEONE BY HIS OWN STUPIDITY. If someone drove drunk and killed your son, brother, father would that be a “hiccup” in your life. Heartless

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  21. Anonymous says:

    All this country is doing is helping criminals walk scotch free for whatever crime they commit.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    With all of his other offences, he should have gotten the full 10 years! That poor man on his way to work, excited to be living in the Cayman Islands did not foresee his life would be cut so short by someone who has no respect for the law, or our roads! To be 2 times over the legal limit a few hours after the accident, that’s crazy!

    At least the Judge gave him some penalties for after his term is over, but still… that family will never see their son again, this guy will see the light of day.

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  23. Anonymous says:

    what a joke of a sentence!

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  24. Anonymous says:

    Not enough time. Why didn’t he get the full 10 years less some for a guilty plea, with the other sentences to run one after the other.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Because the judge has spent time on other precedent cases that may have involved similar crimes and made an adjustment in sentencing where he deemed necessary, to include the early guilty plea. That is why they are judges. At least this person is off our roads for at least a decade .

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  25. Anonymous says:

    6 years for killing someone?

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