SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A repeat DUI offender who pleaded guilty to hitting and killing a tow-truck operator on SR-52 in 2017 has been sentenced.
Michael Gilbert Gray, 50, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August in the death of 55-year-old Fred Griffith.
Gray was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.
On Feb. 23, 2017, Griffith, a single father of three, was aiding a stranded trash truck on the freeway near Tierrasanta when he was struck and killed by Gray's Ford Expedition.
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Gray continued on a short distance before an off-duty Sheriff's detective pulled him over after witnessing the collision.
Authorities say Gray's blood alcohol content was .27 percent, more than three times the legal limit. A half-empty bottle of vodka was found in Gray's SUV and he was showing signs of intoxication three hours after the crash, according to Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright.
Gray reportedly had three prior DUIs dating back to 1999 and a felony conviction for committing a lewd act on a child. His last DUI was in 2013, according to Bright.
