Sandy MaloneLoudoun County, VA – Former Washington Commanders safety and team captain Deshazor Everett pleaded guilty on Wednesday to reckless driving in connection with the death of his girlfriend last year.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said in a press release that the fatal crash occurred at about 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2021 while 29-year-old Deshazor Everett was driving on Gum Spring Road near Ticonderoga Road in Loudoun County.
Everett was following Washington Commanders teammates Jamin Davis and Benjamin St-Juste, whom he and his girlfriend had just gone out with to dinner, ESPN reported.
LCSO said Everett lost control of the 2010 Nissan GT-R and the car left the road, struck several trees, and then flipped over.
A witness who called 911 told the dispatcher that the car was “trapped in the trees,” ESPN reported.
Everett’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Olivia Peters, was riding in the passenger seat when they crashed and was seriously injured.
Peters was transported to a nearby hospital where she later died, according to ESPN.
She worked as a therapist for special needs and underprivileged children, according to the Daily Mail.
In a statement family of Olivia Peters, a passenger who died after a car driven by Washington football player Deshazor Everett crashed, says she was “brilliant & beautiful“ & that her passion was helping special-needs & underprivileged children as an occupational therapist. pic.twitter.com/ceRSzI7hTb
— Tom Roussey (@tomroussey7news) December 24, 2021
Everett was also injured in the crash and spent four days in the hospital after the wreck.
LCSO investigators determined that Everett was driving “over twice the posted 45 mph speed limit just prior to the crash,” ESPN reported.
Everett was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with his girlfriend’s death.
He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless driving/failure to maintain control of the vehicle on July 20, ESPN reported.
Breaking: Former Washington football player Deshazor Everett has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving in the December 2021 crash that killed his girlfriend, Olivia Peters, in Loudoun County. He was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter. pic.twitter.com/3W1fWQJatw
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) July 19, 2022
Loudoun County prosecutors said Peters’ family supported the reduction of charges from a felony to a misdemeanor, WTOP reported.
Prosecutors said the family had had time to “fully reflect” and decided to consider what their daughter would want, knowing the nature of her relationship with Everett.
Christina Brady, a prosecutor for the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorneys Office, said the family supported the National Football League (NFL) player being sentenced to outreach and community service, WTOP reported.
Brady also said it would have been difficult to convict Everett on the manslaughter charge given readings from the car’s “black box” data recorder and a witness who said he saw Everett’s vehicle going only slightly over the posted speed.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said toxicology reports from that night showed Everett was not impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, WTOP reported.
Everett has been scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 8.
The maximum sentence he faces under Virginia law is up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, WTOP reported.
Defense attorneys had asked the judge to postpone sentencing until March of 2023 so it wouldn’t interfere with football season.
The Washington Commanders released Everett a month after his fatal crash and the safety is currently a free agent.
But District Judge Deborah Welsh refused to delay sentencing for football, WTOP reported.
“Regardless of your profession, everyone in this court is treated equally, and that includes to be sentenced in a timely manner,” Welsh said. “Just like everyone else who has to take off from work, players can be subpoenaed.”
Holly Matkin
