Tonganoxie father who killed son in drunk driving accident sentenced to prison

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A judge in Leavenworth County, Kansas, on Friday sentenced a man to just over 11 years in prison for a drunken car crash that killed his son.

A jury found Shane Degraeve guilty on April 4 of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated endangerment of a child and driving under the influence of alcohol in the pickup truck crash that killed his 9-year-old son, according to a news release from the Leaveworth County District Attorney’s Office.

The crash occurred on September 4, 2022.

The fatal accident occurred as DeGraeve was driving his 2022 GMC Sierra 3500 pickup truck in the area of ​​Easton Road and Kansas 92 Highway.

The investigation revealed that Degraeve was traveling at over 70 miles per hour when his pickup truck entered a ditch, struck a sign and overturned.

A nine-year-old boy in the passenger seat was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the truck.

He died a short time later.

Two other children in the back seat were treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Degraeve, who showed signs of impairment at the scene of the accident, told police he had been forced off the road.

But his story did not match the testimony of witnesses and the evidence at the crime scene.

He also told police he had drunk a beer, but his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit in Kansas, the press release said.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families involved in this incident,” Leavenworth County District Attorney Todd Thompson said in the news release Friday. “DeGraeve’s responsibilities as a father include obeying traffic laws, avoiding driving under the influence and ensuring the safety of his children.”

His pickup truck was equipped with two seat belt silencers that prevented passengers from buckling up inside the vehicle.

“Seat belt silencers, sometimes used in vehicles, may pose more risks than benefits, as in this case where one of them contributed to a child’s failure to wear his seat belt and tragic death,” Thompson said.

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