Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced that a Marietta man will spend eight years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a man while driving under the influence.
Jeffrey Robert Fettig, 45, pled guilty Thursday afternoon to Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree and Driving Under the Influence in the crash that killed East Cobb resident, Thomas Stanley, Ph.D., 71.
On the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2015, a Saturday, Mr. Fettig was driving his Acura on Paper Mill Road near Atlanta Country Club Drive when his vehicle T-boned Dr. Stanley’s 2012 Corvette as Dr. Stanley was making a left turn.
Tests on Mr. Fettig’s blood nearly two hours after the crash showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.192 as well as the presence of Ativan in his system.
Mr. Fettig admitted that before the crash, he had been drinking at a Buckhead bar, then drove to a restaurant in east Cobb and ordered a beer. The manager of that restaurant suspected Mr. Fettig was impaired and ordered staff not to serve him anything else to drink, then offered to call him a cab. Mr. Fettig told the manager that someone was coming to pick him up, and the manager waited with him in the parking lot. Eventually, the manager was pulled away to deal with a situation inside the restaurant and when he looked up again, he saw Mr. Fettig inside his vehicle. The manager ran out to try to stop him, but Mr. Fettig drove away. The manager called 911 with his tag number, but the crash happened just a half mile up the road from the restaurant.
Dr. Stanley was the author of several books including “The Millionaire Next Door.” His widow, Janet, read a letter she wrote to the court on Thursday.
“This crime has redefined who I am and who I will be for the rest of my life,” she said. “I had a wonderful partner in life, and now I do not.”
Mr. Fettig’s attorney, Kim Keheley Frye, told the court that her client, a father of two young children, had attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings both the night before the crash and earlier on the day of the crash.
Later during Thursday’s hearing, the defendant tearfully apologized to Dr. Stanley’s family.
“I can’t erase the horrific tragedy that I’m responsible for,” he said. “Through my actions, I have killed your husband, your father, a grandfather… and there’s nothing I can do about that. … I am eternally sorry.”
ADA Theresa Schiefer said: “This defendant didn’t set out to cause destruction, but bad choice after bad choice after bad choice resulted in the loss of a life and many more forever changed. No amount of punishment can bring back Dr. Stanley, but this sentence will serve as a measure of justice to allow the victims to start their next chapter.”
After accepting the plea, Cobb Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster sentenced the defendant to 15 years, with eight years to be served in prison and the balance on probation. Once he is released from custody, he may not drive any vehicle or drink any alcohol while on probation.
Cobb Police investigated the case.
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