Man charged in a deadly Lexington crash gets probation after pleading guilty
A man previously charged with second-degree manslaughter for his involvement in a deadly car crash has received three years of probation after pleading guilty to a lesser charge.
Axel Ndagijimana, 24, of Lexington, was arrested and charged in June 2021 after a passenger in his car died from injuries in a crash on West High Street. Ndagijimana’s was driving “at a high rate of speed” west on High Street before Oliver Lewis Way when he lost control and the vehicle ran off the right shoulder into a utility pole, police said. The crash killed 20-year-old Ralph Hirwa.
Ndagijimana was accused of driving more than 80 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the crash, and a blood test taken after the crash showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.159, a detective testified previously. The legal limit in Kentucky is 0.08.
His attorney, Bradley Clark, said his client made a “monumental error in judgment” by deciding to drive after drinking. Clark wrote that the death of Hirwa was a tragedy, and Ndagijimana had made amends to the victim’s family.
Clark asked that Ndagijimana get probation. He said Ndagijimana had a low risk for reoffending and was in the United States on a student visa. If he were imprisoned, he’d be deported back to Rwanda, which he fled a decade ago amid civil war, Clark said in court documents.
On Friday, Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell sentenced Ndagijimana to two and a half years in prison for an amended charge of reckless homicide, but probated the sentence for three years. He will be out of custody, but could be forced to serve the prison sentence if he violates his probation terms.
Ndagijimana was also convicted of driving under the influence, and was ordered to pay fines, according to the Fayette Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
“It is essential to emphasize that Axel has not shied away from his responsibility for the incident,” Clark wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “He stands before this court, acknowledging his error, not seeking to absolve himself of guilt, but pleading guilty to his charge. His acceptance of culpability is a testament to his remorse and personal integrity, even amidst the profound grief and regret that weigh heavily upon him.”
