Driver Pleads Guilty In DWI Crash That Killed Howell Man

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ — A North Jersey man has pleaded guilty to being intoxicated when he got into a crash that killed a Howell Township man in 2018.

William Dunbar, 26, of Nutley, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of Christopher Pappas, 34, of Howell. As part of the plea agreement, Dunbar is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. Sentencing is scheduled for May 14.

Pappas died at the scene of the Aug. 19, 2018 crash on Route 73 in Mount Laurel when his car was hit from behind by the car Dunbar was driving. The force of the collision made Pappas's car overturn and hit a utility pole.

The investigation by the Mount Laurel Police Department and its lead investigator, Sgt. Nicholas DiGirolamo, with assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police, determined Dunbar had been driving in excess of 100 mph at the time he hit Pappas's car.

While entering his plea, Dunbar said he had been drinking alcohol at a concert earlier in the day. Authorities said toxicology tests showed his blood alcohol content was at .16 percent shortly after the crash, a result Dunbar did not dispute.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Howell Patch on Facebook.