Man pleads guilty in Norfolk after friend killed in drink-driving incident

A photo of a common judge’s gavel. (Getty Images)

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A Norfolk man pleaded guilty to killing his friend in a 2022 drunken driving incident.

Joseph Medina was convicted of manslaughter after causing the death of his shipmate Zachary Soussa in a car crash. Medina was drinking with Soussa in downtown Norfolk on December 9, 2022, until the next morning. On December 10, around 2 a.m., he drove while drunk with Soussa in the passenger seat and sped eastbound on Virginia Beach Boulevard. After losing control, he drove into a median and collided with a tree, causing the car to spin out in the air and eventually crash into a second tree.

When the second tree struck, the passenger door of Medina’s vehicle was blown off, causing Soussa to be ejected from the vehicle and die on impact. Medina was treated for his injuries and records showed his blood alcohol content was .25.

He was originally scheduled to go on trial on June 10, but chose to plead guilty to charges that carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

“Mr Medina chose to drive drunk and killed his friend,” said prosecutor Ramin Fatehi. “If Mr Medina had called a taxi, no one would have had to pay for his crime. Now Mr Medina faces a prison sentence and Mr Soussa’s family will have to live a lifetime without their loved one. When you choose to drink, you also choose not to drive.”