CORINTH, Miss. — Michael Wayne Hawley, 46, of Corinth, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter in connection with a 2024 fatal traffic crash.
Hawley entered the plea in the Circuit Court of Alcorn County. Circuit Judge Michael P. Mills Jr. accepted the plea and ordered Hawley to serve the sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The charge stemmed from an April 25, 2024, crash on Highway 72 near Galyean Road. Authorities said Hawley’s vehicle struck another driven by William Pady, who was unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead at Magnolia Regional Health Center.
An investigation by the Corinth Police Department included witness statements, surveillance video, vehicle data and an accident reconstruction by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Investigators said evidence showed Hawley was driving in an extremely reckless manner, reaching speeds of up to 103 mph in the five seconds before the crash.
Detective Michael Suitor led the police investigation, and Trooper First Class Todd Davis conducted the reconstruction. The sentence was imposed after a hearing that included witness testimony and video evidence of the crash.
The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jason D. Herring with Assistant District Attorneys Kyle Robbins and Clay Cummings.
