Corinth, Miss. — A Corinth man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to culpable negligence manslaughter in connection with a fatal crash in April 2024.
Michael Wayne Hawley, 46, entered the plea in the Circuit Court of Alcorn County. Judge Michael P. Mills Jr. accepted the plea and sentenced Hawley to serve 15 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Upon release, Hawley will be on five years of post-release supervision, according to court records.
The charge stemmed from an investigation into a crash on Highway 72 near Galyean Road that resulted in the death of William Pady. Pady’s vehicle was struck by Hawley’s car; he was unresponsive at the scene and later died at Magnolia Regional Health Center.
Investigators from the Corinth Police Department, including Detective Michael Suitor, examined witness statements, surveillance footage, vehicle data, and conducted an accident reconstruction with assistance from Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper First Class Todd Davis. The evidence showed Hawley was driving recklessly at speeds up to 103 miles per hour shortly before the crash.
The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jason D. Herring and assistant district attorneys Kyle Robbins and Clay Cummings. The sentencing followed a hearing that included witness testimony and video evidence documenting the crash.
