SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 37-year-old woman who killed four men in a 2021 crash has been sentenced to 39.84 years in State Prison, according to the Twelfth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office in Sarasota.

Chiniceia Carter was driving home from the Hard Rock Casino, traveling south on Interstate 75 in Sarasota on July 15, 2021.

Carter had a blood alcohol content level of .161, over twice the legal limit.

She drove off the road, crashing her car into a truck and trailer that was pulled over on the shoulder due to a flat tire.

The four men standing near the truck and trailer died from the impact of the crash, the attorney’s office said.

On June 23, 2023, Carter pled no contest to four counts of DUI manslaughter.

However, the circuit court judge on Friday sentenced Carter to a nearly 40-year sentence for each count, which includes a four-year minimum mandatory.

The Court said Carter showed remorse for her actions and the “utter carnage” of the crash.

“The death of these four men were absolutely avoidable,” the lead prosecutor said. “Too many innocent people, including children and adults, are killed by drunk drivers in Sarasota. As a result of the Defendant’s actions to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car, four young men are
now dead.”

The lead prosecutor added that people should make the right and simple choice: to not drink and drive, to keep others alive.