Man Gets 4 Years For Drunken Crash That Killed Iowa Lawyer

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Twin Cities man was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for driving drunk last summer and killing an Iowa lawyer in a head-on crash.

Rice County Judge John T. Cajacob sentenced Brandon Dellwo, of Shakopee, to 48 months in prison on a charge of criminal vehicular homicide and 13 months for criminal vehicular operation. He will serve the sentences concurrently.

According to a criminal complaint, Dellwo was twice the legal blood alcohol limit last August when he slammed his SUV head-on into a car on Highway 19 near Northfield.

The driver of the car, 29-year-old Kacy Merseal, of Des Moines, Iowa, was killed. The young lawyer was driving home from a Bruno Mars concert in the Twin Cities.

According to court documents, Dellwo will have to pay $30,000 in restitution to state authorities as well as a yet-to-disclosed amount to the Merseal's family.