Mississippi man sentenced to 15 years for vehicular manslaughter

CORINTH, Miss. — Michael Wayne Hawley, 46, of Corinth, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter, according to court records.

Hawley entered the plea during a hearing in the Circuit Court of Alcorn County. Judge Michael P. Mills Jr. accepted the plea and sentenced Hawley to serve 15 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Upon release, Hawley will be required to complete five years of post-release supervision.

The charge stems from a fatal crash on April 25, 2024, on Highway 72 near Galyean Road. The Corinth Police Department investigation revealed that Hawley was driving recklessly, reaching speeds of up to 103 miles per hour in the five seconds before the crash. The victim, William Pady, was unresponsive at the scene and later died at Magnolia Regional Health Center.

Investigators used witness statements, surveillance footage, vehicle data, and accident reconstruction by Mississippi Highway Patrol to build the case. Detective Michael Suitor led the police investigation, and Trooper First Class Todd Davis conducted the crash reconstruction.

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jason D. Herring and assistant district attorneys Kyle Robbins and Clay Cummings. The sentencing concluded a hearing that included witness testimony and video evidence documenting the incident.

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