CINCINNATI — A man has waived a scheduled jury trial and pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in connection to a crash that killed a 25-year-old man on the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge in 2023.
Keshaun Compton was expected to face a jury on eight counts of vehicular manslaughter stemming from the December 7, 2023 collision that claimed the life of 25-year-old John Pinkerton, but instead on Monday entered a guilty plea to one count of vehicular homicide, a 1st-degree misdemeanor.
According to court documents, the crash occurred around 4 p.m. when Compton, driving a Honda Odyssey minivan northbound, attempted to pass a slow-moving truck in the center lane of the bridge. At the time, a red X indicator above the lane prohibited northbound traffic from entering.
Police say Compton’s vehicle collided head-on with an Audi S4 driven by Pinkerton. The force of the crash pushed Pinkerton’s car onto the bridge’s side barrier near the southbound lane. First responders worked to rescue Pinkerton from his vehicle and transported him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died shortly after arriving.
Two other people involved in the crash were injured but survived. Compton and a passenger in his vehicle were also hospitalized in stable condition following the collision.
Prosecutors were expected to argue that Compton’s decision to illegally use the restricted lane was reckless and directly led to the crash.
The guilty plea carries a maximum of 180 days in jail. Compton will be sentenced on February 13.
