LAS VEGAS (CN) — Henry Ruggs III, the former Las Vegas Raiders receiver, told a judge Tuesday he plans to plead guilty over a fiery crash a few miles west of the Strip that killed a 22-year-old woman and her dog.
"This is the first step toward a fair resolution to this matter and we look forward to closure for all parties involved,” Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a statement.
Ruggs plans to plead guilty in Clark County District Court to felony DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor manslaughter, according to his attorneys. Ruggs faces three to 10 years in state prison.
According to a police report, Ruggs, 24, and his girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, 24, were drinking alcohol while hitting golf balls at Top Golf near the Strip on Nov. 2, 2021.
Investigators say Ruggs drove 156 mph in his Chevrolet Corvette on Rainbow Boulevard before slowing down to 127 mph when he hit Tina Tintor’s vehicle. Law enforcement acquired the information from the Corvette’s computer.
Tintor’s Toyota RAV4 exploded in a fireball, according to police reports. Bystanders attempted to get Tintor out of the car were before the fire but were unsuccessful.
Ruggs injured his leg and used a wheelchair and wore a neck brace during his initial court appearance. Kilgo-Washington suffered a severe arm injury. They have a three-year-old child together.
According to a police report, Ruggs refused an alcohol sobriety test at the scene. He was taken to University Medical Center for a mandatory blood draw, and registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.161, twice the legal limit.
He initially faced five charges, including DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily injury, two counts of reckless driving resulting in substantial bodily injury and misdemeanor gun possession while under the influence. He faced 50 years if convicted on all the charges, according to District Attorney Steve Wolfson.
Ruggs, who posted a $150,000 bond, has been on house arrest with an ankle monitor 24 hours a day. Ruggs will remain on house arrest pending his sentencing. He plans to plead guilty May 10.
Ruggs signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Raiders after being the 12th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and received a $9.6 million signing bonus. From Montgomery, Alabama, Ruggs played collegiately at the University of Alabama and was on the 2018 national championship team.
The Raiders released Ruggs soon after the crash.
One of Ruggs’ attorney’s, Chesnoff, has represented many high-profile clients, including former boxer Mike Tyson, rocker Vince Neil, rapper Suge Knight and actor Leonardo DeCaprio.
The Raiders did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
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