Man sentenced for wrong-way crash that killed two Wilmington teens in 2017

A 44-year-old man charged for a DWI crash that killed two Laney High School graduates in 2017 was sentenced to serve time in prison.

A Robeson County judge sentenced Broderick Lamont Jones 18 to 23 years. He was charged with two counts of death by vehicle and was previously charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction indicate he was convicted in late January. His projected release date is Jan. 3, 2039.

Jones, 38 at the time, left a Super Bowl party on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, and went the wrong way on U.S. 74 in Lumberton. He crashed into a vehicle driven by Dana Wilson, with her boyfriend, Ryan Menke, in the passenger seat.

Previous coverage:2 years after the crash, victims' families waiting on trial

They were both 18. Wilson and Menke were going west on their way to Charlotte after spending Super Bowl Sunday visiting family in Wilmington.

Before the head-on collision, the N.C. Highway Patrol received a call about Jones driving east the wrong way on westbound U.S. 74. Shortly before 1 a.m. a 911 call was made about the crash.

Police officers found Wilson and Menke dead at the scene. Their dog, Charlotte, survived the crash with a broken leg.

Jones survived and received medical treatment at UNC Medical Center, where he was unresponsive for days with life-threatening injuries before he was arrested for the crash. An accident report said Jones was going 85 mph when the speed limit was 70. A blood report also determined that his blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit.

A Robeson County grand jury later indicted Jones on several charges in connection to the crash.

Wilson and Menke were laid to rest in the same grave at Wilmington's Oleander Memorial Gardens, five days after the crash. Before they died, they were living in Charlotte so Wilson could attend the University of North Carolina Charlotte to study pharmaceuticals. They met just before their junior prom at the age of 16.

In 2019, while awaiting the trial, Teddi Wilson, Dana's mother, said she hopes Jones turns his life around while serving time. She also said she hopes the incident steers others away from drunk driving.

"A lot of people, they want me to be so angry, and I am. I've worked through some anger; I'm angry that I don’t get to have grandchildren and see her get married," Wilson said in 2019. "I miss her so much, but at the same time I just have to know that God is sovereign, and every day I just have to remember that he knows what he's doing."