NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy sailor was sentenced Friday to a decade in prison for manslaughter for killing his passenger and shipmate in 2022.
In June, Joseph Nicholas Medina, 24, pleaded guilty to causing the death of his front-seat passenger and shipmate, Zachary Michael Soussa, in a car crash.
According to court documents from Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, Medina and Soussa were drinking in downtown Norfolk on the night of Dec. 9, 2022.
When the two left downtown just after 2 a.m., Medina was speeding eastbound on Virginia Beach Boulevard toward the Park Avenue intersection when he lost control of his vehicle, drove up onto a median, collided with a tree, spun in the air and hit a second tree.
The collision with the second tree ripped the front passenger door off Medina’s vehicle and ejected Soussa from the vehicle, killing him instantly.
Following the crash, Medina was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for treatment of his crash injuries; Norfolk Police detained him after he was discharged.
According to Medina’s medical records, his blood alcohol content was 0.25.
“Mr. Medina chose to drive drunk, and he killed his friend,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Had Mr. Medina called a cab, nobody would have to pay the price for his crime. Now Mr. Medina faces a prison sentence, and Mr. Soussa’s family faces a lifetime without their loved one. If you choose to drink, choose not to drive.”