Convicted Teenage Drunk Driver Speaks to Students about Fatal Rancho Santa Fe Car Accident
Branden Butler, the 17-year old teenager serving 547 days of service in the Juvenile Hall in Vista, spoke to Rancho Buena Vista High School students in a Vista courtroom on March 5, 2010. On October 4, 2009 Butler rammed his car into a wooden fence on La Granada Road, killing his Torrey Pines High School classmate and friend, Alex Capozza (pictured below).
Butler was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the auto accident. After partying in Rancho Santa Fe, he had gone out with friends to get some food when the fatal car accident took place.
This is the first time that Butler has spoken publicly about what happened and he did so as part of the San Diego Superior Court’s Court Day which featured talks by lawyers and judges about what the Court does on a day-to-day basis. It also featured mock trials and, in the case of Butler, speeches by convicted criminals about the impact their crime has had on their life.
While there is no excuse for Butler’s actions—and drunk driving is completely inexcusable—Butler should be commended for speaking with these students. The source article for this post was not clear whether his presence was court ordered. However, it seems from the subject of his talk and the words that he communicated that his poor choice to drive while intoxicated has caused him a tremendous amount of grief and remorse. He was very remorseful about the loss of his friend and the impact Alex’s death has had on the Capozza family. Unfortunately, it is often only after a fatal auto accident, that people reflect and acknowledge that they made a poor and dangerous choice. If only it could be the other way around.
