Westerly Man Sentenced To 8 1/2 Years In Prison For Deadly DUI Crash: AG

A Westerly man was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for crashing into a pedestrian while he was under the influence, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.

Matthew Lyons, 39, had been found guilty following a seven-day June jury trial in June of driving under the influence resulting in death and driving to endanger resulting in death, the attorney general's office said in a media release.

In February 2023, Lyons "drove under the influence and crashed his vehicle on Oak Street in Westerly, causing the death of Michael DePaola," the release said.

Westerly police officers found DePaola, 31, "lying on the sidewalk covered in blood," according to the release. "Rescue personnel transported Michael to Westerly Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased."

A witness reported seeing a "man later identified as (Lyons) in the middle of the street, where he flagged her down and told her he struck a pedestrian," and asked her to call 911, the release said.

A breath test administered two hours after the crash showed Lyons' blood alcohol content was 0.109%, according to the release.

Lyons was sentenced to 15 years with eight and a half years to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions and 15 years of probation, the release said.

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