Grand jury indicts DUI suspect

View larger image Steven Andrew Boyce

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- The Shawneeland man accused of causing a crash that killed a family of four last summer has been indicted on additional charges by a Frederick County Circuit Court grand jury.

Steven Andrew Boyce, 21, of 221 Hawk Trail, Winchester, appeared Thursday in Circuit Court on charges of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a first offense of driving under the influence of alcohol. A General District Court judge had certified the charges to the Circuit Court.

Authorities accuse Boyce of driving a pickup in the late morning of June 26 which he then crashed into the rear a Jeep Cherokee stopped at the intersection of U.S 11 at the Interstate 81 interchange in Stephenson. The collision caused the Jeep's fuel tank to rupture and the vehicle caught fire, killing all occupants.

Court documents state Boyce, then 20, had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.27 percent at the time of the crash -- more than three times the legal limit for a person 21 or older. However the indictment states his BAC registered 0.33 percent.

As prosecutors had said they might, the commonwealth sought more charges against Boyce as direct indictments for three additional counts of aggravated involuntary manslaughter -- one each for the other three victims.

The panel also handed down a direct indictment of underage possession of alcohol related to the incident, a charge that prosecutors had dropped in General District Court but indicated they would bring back before the grand jury.

Retired Judge Herman A. Whisenant Jr. ordered Boyce to appear in the court Jan. 12.
Boyce remains held without bond at the Northwestern Regional Adult Center.

A conviction of aggravated involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with a one-year mandatory minimum, according to Virginia state code.
The grand jury also indicted Boyce on an unrelated charge of underage possession of alcohol that authorities say occurred April 18.

Underage possession of alcohol and a first offense of DUI are class 1 misdemeanors.