Man gets 10 years probation for 2018 crash that killed 16-year-old soccer player

Guy Delaney still had a 3-foot-tall Christmas tree in his room months after the holiday.

The 16-year-old loved Christmas so much, he tried to dissuade his parents from taking down decorations.

They’ve kept the tree up in his room since his death in March 2018, his mother told Guy’s killer in court Wednesday.

Terrelwin Jones, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid in the March 7, 2018, crash on the Dallas North Tollway that killed Guy, a sophomore at Jesuit College Preparatory School.

State District Judge Lela Mays heard testimony Wednesday morning and afternoon before sentencing Jones to 10 years of probation. But the judge decided Jones must spend each Thanksgiving and Christmas of his sentence in the Dallas County Jail.

“Guy isn’t going to be with his family on those holidays, and you won’t be either, at least for 10 years,” Mays said.

If Jones violates any of the rules for probation that Mays laid out, the judge could revoke the sentence and send him to prison for two to 20 years.

Guy and his father were stalled about 10:15 p.m. in a work zone on the tollway while on their way home from a soccer game. Jones was talking on his phone and driving over the 55-mph speed limit when he barreled into traffic, strewing cars across the northbound lanes, including the Delaneys’ Acura.

Their car caught fire from the impact and Guy’s father struggled to free him. Other drivers who were at the scene testified about their efforts to help. One man used a fire extinguisher he had in his vehicle to stave off the flames while another man helped get Guy out.

An emergency room nurse who witnessed the crash performed CPR on Guy and recognized that his pulse was weakening.

The judge heard from an information technology manager for the North Texas Tollway Authority who testified that Jones was recorded driving 143 mph before the crash. His speed was 89 mph at the moment of impact, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper testified. The trooper said he got the speed from a crash data report taken from the car’s airbag control module.

Prosecutor Gary McDonald said that Jones, who was living in Frisco at the time, left the crash and called a friend to pick him up. Troopers found him at his friend’s apartment about 5 a.m. the next day and interviewed him but did not arrest him. They later sought a warrant for his arrest, and Jones turned himself into the Dallas County jail.

Jones took the stand and said he had limited memory from the night. He said a doctor diagnosed a concussion the next day. He initially thought he had been hit and didn’t realize he caused the crash, he testified.

Jones pleaded for forgiveness from Guy’s family and mercy from the judge. He said he chose to plead guilty to avoid putting the family through a painful trial and prolong their closure. Jones vowed to live a life that would honor Guy if he were given probation instead of a prison sentence.

Guy’s father, Neil Delaney, said he forgave Jones because his Christian teachings tell him to. But he questioned whether closure is possible.

“I don’t think the fabled concept of closure is realistic,” Neil Delaney said.

Guy’s mother, Shawn Delaney, cried as she described how Guy’s death had impacted her family.

“Every fiber of my being aches for Guy,” she said. Jones frequently bowed his head as she spoke.

The judge briefly explained her decision to give Jones probation factored in his clean record prior to the crash. But she issued a stern warning before dismissing him.

“You wanted to show this family that you’re going to be a productive member of society … and that’s what I expect from you,” Mays said.