Angelo Lacirignola faces a second-degree murder charge after the man he allegedly struck in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 244 died from his injuries.
Lacirignola, 44, of Owasso was charged Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Tulsa County District Court and booked into the Tulsa County Jail on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to KTUL and court filings reported by the Tulsa World.
The charge stems from a Sept. 5 collision near I-244 and Sheridan Road. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Lacirignola was driving a Corvette the wrong way on the highway when it collided head-on with a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Fredie Hunter Jr. of Catoosa.
Both were taken to the hospital.
Hunter suffered a traumatic brain injury, brain damage and a broken back, according to KTUL. He died Sept. 30, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
The felony murder charge is linked to Lacirignola allegedly violating aggravated driving-under-the-influence statutes at the time of the collision, the Tulsa World reported. The charge also advances two alternative theories that he committed first-degree manslaughter while committing misdemeanor traffic offenses.
Hospital records obtained by troopers showed Lacirignola had a reported blood alcohol concentration of 0.22 after the crash, according to News On 6. Oklahoma's legal limit is 0.08. His level was nearly three times that limit.
Witnesses told troopers they saw the Corvette entered I-244 the wrong way near Sheridan Road exit ramp in the westbound lane at about 1:45 a.m. Sept. 5, according to an affidavit cited by the Tulsa World. The Corvette's owner told OHP later that day that Lacirignola had been at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa for a night out. Another witness who said he had been with Lacirignola earlier that evening told investigators they had visited a bar near Harvard Avenue and South 11th Street, where they drank and played pool before going to other locations.
Hunter's daughter, Kodye Geeding, described his injuries to KTUL on Sept. 11, when he was still hospitalized. "He's got a traumatic brain injury, and brain damage, his back is broken," she said.
Sources differ on Hunter's age. KTUL reported he was 65. News On 6 and the Tulsa World reported he was 64.
As of Oct. 15, the online court docket listed no attorney or scheduled hearing for Lacirignola. It recorded a motion to reduce bond filed Oct. 14, but the motion’s contents were unavailable online.
