Letter in support of Perkins blames Petrie’s “alcoholism” and “negligence” for fatal crash

Devin Perkins, a New Smyrna Beach man convicted of vehicular manslaughter in the crash that killed TikTok star Ali Spice and two others do not deserve decades in prison, wrote a nurse who testified during the trial, describing a battered young man who arrived at her hospital.

Perkins, 24, was driving his car at 100 mph before he collided with a pickup truck traveling the wrong way on State Route 44 two years ago, according to prosecutors. Perkins survived, but three passengers in his car did not: his girlfriend, Alexandra Dulin, 21, who is also known as Ali Spice and has nearly a million followers on TikTok; his best friend, Kyle Jacob Moser, 25, of Daytona Beach; and Ava Fellerman, 20, of Treasure Island.

The families of the three young victims are divided; The families of Dulin and Moser opposed the prosecution of Perkins, and Fellerman’s father supported the prosecutor’s decision.

Nurse Rachel Burns wrote in an email to the court system that she drew blood from Perkins at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach after the crash.

“I do not know Devin Perkins personally, but I do know that he does not deserve to spend the next several decades or more in prison,” Burns wrote. “Nobody has other accident victims in their corner when it comes to trial, and Devin did.

“Without knowing him, I know he was a really good kid if Ali and Kyle’s family supported him during the trial for the accident that killed their children. No parent would support someone they believe was the cause of their children’s death,” Burns wrote.

Perkins was found guilty of three counts of homicide by vehicle and one count of careless driving causing serious injury. The jury, consisting of four women and two men, deliberated for about 20 minutes on September 30 returning the verdict.

Under state law, Perkins faces a minimum sentence of 30.5 years to life in prison, although his attorneys may seek a lesser sentence.

The other driver, Thomas Petrie, 55, entered a public plea and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 6, when he faces a minimum of 36 years and up to life in prison.

Perkins’ case receives national attention, letters of support

The judiciary has received about 80 emails opposing Petrie’s prosecution and conviction. It appears that a large number of emails are based on a sample message on a website that has been created Devin Perkins’ mother in support of her son.

The case received a resonance in the national media. And since Perkins was found guilty, someone published change.org petition against his conviction.

But Burns’ email, like the emails from the Doolin and Moser families, is not a formal letter. It came from someone who saw Perkins immediately after the accident and attended the trial. Burns addressed the email to “To Whom It May Concern.”

The nurse feels terrible for Perkins and his family

Burns wrote in an email that she was subpoenaed as a witness in the trial because she was the nurse who drew blood from Perkins when he arrived as a trauma patient at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Burns wrote that she did not specifically remember him as a patient, but she reviewed the “trauma chart” and realized it was a “terrible accident.”

“Thomas Petrie crashed into a car full of people who had their whole lives ahead of them. Their chances of ever making it in life are over. Devin got out of the car by himself with a broken pelvis and a punctured lung, and his friends lay dead around him.”

Petri was driving a pickup truck in a westbound direction eastbound on State Route 44 east of Interstate 4 on December 11, 2022, when a truck collided head-on with an Infiniti Q50 driven by Perkins.

Petriy drank alcoholic beverages with 37-year-old Joanna Dillon of Deltona just hours before the crash, according to police. Dillon owned the truck that Petrie was driving; she was a passenger and was injured in the accident.

He entered an open plea and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 6, when he faces a minimum sentence of 36 years in prison and up to life in prison, according to state sentencing guidelines.

“Petrie fled the crash, and then Joanna Dillon, who was with him, who was also called as a witness in an attempt to impeach Devin, refused to give Petrie’s name to the police. She was also alerted to the injury and it took one of my colleagues talking to her to finally get her to say his name,” Burns wrote.

Dillon was called as a prosecution witness. According to court records, one of the charges against Perkins is based on personal injuries sustained by Dillon.

“How is she allowed to help put Devin in prison when she should be charged with concealing the identity of a man who killed three young adults and seriously injured another,” Burns wrote.

Perkins arrived in Halifax as a Level 1 trauma, meaning a team of three nurses, a technician and a physician, along with a lab, radiologist, respiratory surgeon and trauma surgeon were present “either in the operating room or on standby,” Burns wrote. .

“This is a big deal, especially for a 22-year-old girl,” Burns wrote.

Perkins was on an oxygen mask due to a punctured lung and was intubated within seven minutes of arriving; he also had a chest tube inserted, she wrote.

“I’m sure he spent a week or more in hospital with months of recovery. That in itself is traumatizing, but coming home knowing your best friend and girlfriend are dead is devastating. Add to that a trial that could land you in prison for life, and it’s completely unimaginable,” Burns wrote.

“I feel so terrible for what Devin and his family are going through right now that I couldn’t keep quiet about it. Please consider this when he is sentenced, this accident does not have to take another person’s life at such a young age. “, Burns wrote.

Blood tests showed that Perkins’ blood alcohol content was 0.028, which is below the 0.08 level at which a person is legally considered intoxicated. Tests also showed that Perkins had THC in his system, indicating that he had once used marijuana. He showed that he smoked the day before.

“Devin’s blood alcohol level was well below the legal limit, he was sure he was driving too fast, but he was clinically sober and trying to get his friends home,” Burns wrote.

Burns concluded by saying, “Thomas Petrie’s alcoholism and negligence caused this accident, not Devin Perkins.”

This article originally appeared in The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Perkins did not cause the accident that killed Ali Spice or others, the nurse writes