Disgraced ‘American Idol’ Finalist Sentenced to Prison After Killing South Carolina Dad

Country singer Caleb Kennedy made it to the Top 5 when he competed on season 19 of American Idol in 2022. Unfortunately, a questionable video of him and a friend surfaced and, as a result, he was booted from the show. After leaving Idol, he continued to pursue a music career. Unfortunately, he let his dream of stardom slip through his fingers when he killed a man while driving under the influence in 2022.

According to Greenville News, the South Carolina native was on his way to his girlfriend’s house when the incident happened. Warrants and the prosecutor claim that he was under the influence of cannabis after using a vape pen while driving. His attorney argues that he was having a reaction to a legally prescribed medication (and “possibly THC”) when the incident took place. Either way, the result was the same. Kennedy’s F-150 hit 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris who died as a result. Authorities arrested the then-17-year-old Kennedy and charged him with a DUI.

[RELATED: ‘American Idol’ Finalist Denied Bond After Killing Man in Car Crash]

On Monday (November 18), a judge sentenced the former American Idol contestant to 25 years in prison and slapped him with a $25,100 fine. However, that sentence has been considerably softened.

Caleb Kennedy Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison (Kind of)

While Larry Duane Parris’ family hoped Caleb Kennedy would get the maximum sentence of 25 years, the judge in the case rolled back his original sentence. Now, Kennedy will get 8 years in prison, a $15,100 fine, five years of probation, and court-ordered mental health and substance abuse counseling. He will serve three years of the eight-year sentence on house arrest.

Additionally, Kennedy will receive credit for the nearly three years he spent in jail awaiting his verdict and sentencing. So, all told, he will serve roughly two years in prison.

“He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened,” Kennedy’s attorney Ryan Beasley said of the incident. “This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC,” Beasley added.

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