Anchorage Daily News

David Prince, convicted of murder for causing a deadly accident in 2006, was sentenced Friday morning to just more than 16½ years in jail.

Prince was driving drunk in his GMC Jimmy when he collided with another car on DeBarr Road, killing Pamela Miller, a grandmother visiting family here from Outside. Three others were seriously injured.

The family was returning from a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. They were just blocks from home.

According to prosecutors, Prince has a long criminal history of alcohol-related offenses, including convictions for drunk driving and a sexual assault. He'd been treated for alcoholism on several occasions, prosecutors said. He'd completed an alcohol treatment program just six weeks before the crash.

Prince was convicted of second-degree murder, assault, drunk driving, failure to appear in court and violating the conditions of his release.

Judge Michael Spaan found Prince's prospects for rehabilitation "guarded," according to a statement from Anchorage District Attorney Adrienne Bachman.

Even that may even be "overly optimistic," the judge said.

Find Julia O'Malley online at adn.com/contact/jomalley or call 257-4591.

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