Woman pleads guilty in 2020 DUI crash that killed Lexington man

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — More than six years after Nate Bowling was killed in a DUI crash in Lexington, the woman charged in his death has pleaded guilty.

Bowling would be 26. He was killed in the early morning hours of July 25, 2020, while driving home from work when the crash happened at Georgetown Road and Citation Boulevard.

For Bowling's father, Cecil Bowling, the guilty plea marks a significant step after years of court proceedings and delayed hearings.

"You don't replace a child," Bowling said. "There's no way to replace one."

WLEX

Shaurice Taylor, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and a second-offense DUI, the charges she originally faced. Another charge of Failure to Maintain Required Insurance was dismissed.

During the plea hearing, Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman asked Taylor whether she was admitting she was guilty of the charges.

"Yes, ma'am," Taylor responded.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending a seven-year prison sentence. Taylor is scheduled to be formally sentenced Jan. 28.

In court, Taylor said she had been at a birthday party before the crash and was following a friend home. She said she later separated from the friend and was headed to another friend's house.

"After that, I just, I, I don't remember," Taylor said.

Cecil Bowling questioned how Taylor could remember the events leading up to the crash but not the crash itself. He said he hopes the judge follows prosecutors' sentencing recommendation, though he believes seven years is not enough.

"How do you put a price and time on life?" he said.

Bowling described Nate as a hardworking young man with a good sense of humor who could brighten a room. He said Nate was his only biological child and that the loss has permanently changed his family.

Bowling also urged others to consider the potentially devastating consequences of impaired driving.

"Don't do it. Call somebody. It's not that hard," he said.

Despite his grief, Bowling said he forgives Taylor.

"I forgive you," Bowling said when asked what he would say to her. "I wanna see you serve your time. There's nothing that can change what's taken place, and I hope that you end up getting your life together and never do this again."

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