TAMPA, Florida — A man found guilty of killing two men in a high-speed drunk driving crash in 2021 was sentenced Wednesday in a Hillsborough County courtroom to 40 years in prison.
Jorge Britton, now 36, is officially facing 40 years in prison followed by 20 years probation after he was convicted at an April trial on seven charges, including multiple DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and the pain that I have caused to these families,” Britton said. “I will ask for your forgiveness. However, if I was in your shoes, I probably wouldn't forgive myself.”
Following the sentencing, the judge lashed out at the 36-year-old for poor decisions and not taking responsibility for his actions until now.
“You didn't take responsibility for a single second. The entire time up until you sat down there in front of me today knowing that today is the day of reckoning. And now you're remorseful and feel sorry for everybody and want to make amends. None of that took place up until today,” Judge Fuson said. “You ask about a second chance, and if he fails, then we hammer him. But it would price? What would a second failure look like?
"His first failure was two dead people and to severely injured people. What happened to the next time? Who wants to take that risk?"
The crash happened just before 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 15, 2021, on Interstate 4.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Britton was driving an Audi R8 eastbound on I-4 approaching 50th Street when he hit a Toyota Camry in the inside lane. Investigators later found Britton was driving 154 miles per hour when he hit the car.
Troopers said the Camry spun out and caught fire as it landed on the outside shoulder. The 39-year-old driver and his 47-year-old passenger, both men from St. Petersburg, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Scene photos from deadly I-4 crash
Britton and the two women in his car, ages 35 and 21, were seriously hurt. Investigators said the women were sharing the front seat of the Audi and were not wearing seatbelts.
At the time, FHP noted that alcohol impairment was believed to have been a factor in the crash.
Several weeks later, on Jan. 3, 2022, Britton surrendered to FHP troopers at the Hillsborough County Jail.
During his trial in April, Britton claimed he was not acting recklessly when the crash happened. The jury disagreed.
A victims’ advocate read statements from relatives of the two men killed – speaking to the pain and the void left behind.
“You, in one night, destroyed our lives forever,” read one of the statements. “You have caused immeasurable pain and suffering to all of us.”