Caleb Kennedy, who competed on Season 19 of “American Idol,” has been sentenced to eight years for a felony DUI crash in 2022 that killed a South Carolina man. He pleaded guilty on Monday.
Authorities said he was using a marijuana vape pen while driving on a private road. Kennedy was 17 at the time of the fatal accident; the victim was later identified by the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office as 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris.
Kennedy’s attorney Ryan Beasley told the Greenville News this week, “Caleb’s very remorseful and his heartfelt sympathies are extended to the Parris family. This sentencing starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation.”
According to local reports out of South Carolina, Kennedy, now 20, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined $25,100, suspended after eight years with a $15,100 fine. Three of those years will be served on home detention.
He was also given five years of probation and a mandate to attend mental health and substance abuse counseling.
The aspiring musician was 16 in 2021 when he made it to the Top 5 on “American Idol,” but dropped out after a Snapchat video of him wearing a white hood and robe that resembled those worn by the Ku Klux Klan resurfaced.
Kennedy’s mother Anita Guy said that her then-12-year-old son was attempting to copy one of the masks worn in the 2018 horror film “The Strangers: Prey At Night.” “It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that’s how it looks,” she told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal at the time. “Caleb doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.”
Upon his withdrawal from the competition, Kennedy issued the following apology on Instagram: “There was a video that surfaced on the Internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”
He added,” I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me. I’m so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect!”
