On Friday, a Georgia man was sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with an August 2023 collision that killed one and seriously injured another on I-495 near the 355 exit ramp in Bethesda.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Bibi Berry, sentenced defendant, Jayleen Hannor, 24, of Montezuma, GA, to 18 years in prison suspend all but eight years to serve and five years of supervised probation upon release. The sentencing hearing was held Friday, August 2, 2024.
On March 21, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to Gross Negligent Manslaughter by Motor Vehicle, Life Threatening Injury by Motor Vehicle while Under the Influence of Alcohol, and Failing to Remain at the Scene of a Collision Involving Death.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred late in the evening on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 on the outer loop of I-495 near the Rt. 355 exit ramp. The defendant, after a night of heavy drinking and while driving his white sedan the wrong way on both I-270 and I-495, struck a Nissan Pathfinder head-on, killing the driver, 36-year-old Elizabeth Velez, and causing life-threatening injuries to Ms. Velez’s 15-year-old daughter. Ms. Velez’s partner, a 36-year-old male, received non-life threatening injures. Two additional children, ages eight and one, sustained minor injuries. The family had been traveling from Pennsylvania on their way to vacation in South Carolina. A third vehicle, a Lexus RX, could not avoid the wreckage and collided with the Nissan as well. Five occupants in the Lexus were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries. The defendant fled the scene on foot and was eventually located walking along the inner loop of the beltway near the Connecticut Avenue exit. He submitted to a breath test which showed an alcohol concentration of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit. This was the defendant’s third drunk driving offense in 13 months. He is facing charges for two separate, prior incidents in the state of Georgia.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle O’Grady prosecuted this matter.