Family dismayed with probation deal in 2018 manslaughter case

Roger Grant sat before Skyler Duncan on Thursday and reminded him of the night five years ago when he asked him to do whatever he needed to make sure he brought his daughter home safe after their date.

His daughter, 39-year-old Latanya Lacy, had lost her husband to a rare illness about nine months before and told Duncan that her children needed her, their only parent, now more than ever.

Grant told Duncan that he asked him that night to give him his word that if they drank while they were out that he would slow down, watch out, take his time, even call for a ride.

Grant said they shook hands on it and Duncan gave him his word.

"Well, Skyler Duncan, you are a liar and other words I wont say," Grant told Duncan as he sat on the witness stand Thursday in the 140th District Court room.

Grant also expressed his disappointment in the legal consequences Duncan faced for the role he played in his daughter's death. He said his three grandsons chose not to attend the sentencing hearing, since they were also dismayed with the result.

"Frankly, I don't blame them. You get to walk out of court here today and get that second chance," he told Duncan.. "My daughter never will. I hope there is a karma that finds you soon."

Duncan pleaded guilty to a count of manslaughter in connection with Lacy's May 7, 2018 death in a fiery single-vehicle crash on FM 1729.

He admitted to recklessly driving his vehicle under the influence of alcohol and failing to keep it in the roadway and maneuvering it to avoid the deadly crash, according to his judicial confession.

Duncan faced between two to 20 years in prison. However, as part of a plea deal with the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office, Duncan will be on probation for 10 years and faces up to 10 years in prison if he violates the condition of his community supervision, which includes the installation of an ignition interlock device with video confirmation on any vehicle he drive for two years.

He will also serve 60 days of jail shock time, which will begin Monday.

A fiery crash

Duncan's charge stems from a Texas Department of Public Safety investigation that began about 2:15 a.m. when troopers responded to a single vehicle wreck.

An initial investigation indicates a Lexus passenger car driven by Duncan was traveling west when he lost control of the vehicle, which rolled several times before crashing into a fence and erupting in flames, officials said.

Duncan suffered incapacitating injuries and was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center.

Lacy died at the scene.

A Lubbock County grand jury indicted him on Jan. 15, 2019. He was arrested three days later.

Grant said in his victim impact statement that life hasn't been easy for his family since his daughter's death.

He said the crash destroyed his daughter's body and they were unable to view her at her funeral.

"You got her burned beyond all recognition," he said.

His grandsons have stopped celebrating holidays or birthdays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, which were important to LaTanya.

Four victim impact statements from Lacy's friends and family were also read by a prosecutor to Duncan during the hearing.

Duncan held his head down as he listened to the statements.

Rusty Smith, a family friend who considered Lacy like a sister, wrote that as a former peace officer, he was "highly ashamed" of the plea deal prosecutors offered Duncan, saying he was getting to walk away with a slap on the wrist for taking a life.

"Do better," he wrote.

Jennifer Houston, a close friend and co-worker of Lacy's, described her as a dedicated and compassionate nurse who "never stopped pushing forward to provide the best care for her patients."

"If you were lucky enough to be called a friend you were considered family," she wrote.

She said the plea deal provided no accountability for Duncan's actions.

"Her children, her parents, her brother, her patients and friends must find a way to move forward in a life that will never be the same," she said.

Amber Lacy, the wife of Lacy's eldest son, said her mother-in-law's death broke her husband and his family.

"Their mother was a beautiful person who made a lasting impression on everyone around her," she said. "Everyday my husband wakes up he has to tell himself that he doesn't care. As his wife it hurts. Nothing can be done to bring him back."

She said Lacy never saw her eldest son get married or her youngest graduate from high school. She told Duncan his actions robbed her family of moments they could have enjoyed with Lacy.

"Their whole world got turned upside down with no warning," she said.

Lacy's mother, Gayla Grant, wrote that she could forgive Duncan but she will never forget what he did.

"You killed and took our daughter," she wrote. "It seems like Latanya's life only mattered to her family."

Barron Slack, an assistant district attorney at the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office, said issues regarding the cause of the crash resulted in the plea deal offered to Duncan.

"Through no fault of investigators, there's just a wide range of possibilities including claims made by the defendant that we cannot prove or disprove beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "That's an element that we have to prove, constitutionally, beyond a reasonable doubt."

Had the case gone to trial, those issues may have resulted in an outcome similar to the plea deal, Slack said.

"We've seen similar from jury verdicts and things like that," he said. "Here we were able to get a maximum probation on the felony charge and look at some of those fact issues."

Slack said the DA's office failed to communicate those issues to Lacy's family, who had been waiting five years for a resolution in the case. He said he spoke with the Grants after the hearing about their grievances.

"The trouble here is that the case took too long to resolve as many of our cases are (backlogged) right now post-COVID and (because of) a crime increase, things took too long and the family I don't think was properly informed fast enough and we are sorry for that," he said.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Family dismayed probation deal 2018 Lubbock County manslaughter case