Deadly DUI leads to murder conviction

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) -  A Baldwin County jury deliberated about two hours Wednesday before delivering a guilty verdict in the murder trial of Mark Howard.

According to investigators, Howard had been drinking all day July 31, 2010 before getting behind the wheel of his Dodge pickup truck later that Saturday night, crossing the center line and crashing into the Toyota Matrix driven by 68-year-old Wanda Logue Luttrell.

Howard, 30, had multiple drunk-driving convictions prior to the crash, and had been out of jail only three months after serving a sentence for driving under the influence.

“Mark Howard had been drinking beer at his brother’s house all day long,” District Attorney Hallie Dixon said.  “He was completely loaded, like any other weapon, when he got behind the wheel of that truck and crushed the life out of Wanda Luttrell.”

Dixon said she was proud of the jury for taking the stand that Howard was guilty of murder instead of agreeing with the defense that Howard should have been charged with a lesser offense.

“This man showed utter contempt, total disregard for human life. It was a reckless murder. He deserves this murder conviction, and innocent people deserve to be protected from him while he serves what I hope will be a long prison sentence.”

Circuit Judge Lang Floyd ordered a pre-sentence investigation and is expected to set a sentencing hearing within the next 30 days for Howard, who faces a prison term of 10 to 99 years or life in prison on the murder conviction.