Anchorage Daily News

A drunken driver who fled police in his car, ran two red lights and crashed into a truck driven by a man on his way home from work, killing him, was convicted today of second-degree murder, according to the Anchorage district attorney.

Following a weeklong trial, a jury also convicted Adam Milazzo, 27, of driving under the influence, felony eluding and assault, District Attorney Adrienne Bachman said.

Police spotted Milazzo's red Ford Probe driving erratically on Northern lights Boulevard in July 2006 and tried to stop him, but he initially did not see the flashing lights. When he did, he pulled over into a turnout near Goose Lake Park, but not for long.

Milazzo rammed his way out of the stop, causing police to pursue him for a short distance down Northern Lights before the chase was called off, Bachman said.

Milazzo continued on, forcing other drivers to take evasive action, she said. As he rushed through the second red light, at Boniface Parkway, he T-boned a white pickup at 80 mph, police said. Inside that vehicle was Gene Burch, a 59-year-old People Mover bus driver returning from work. Burch died at the hospital.

Toxicology screenings discovered Milazzo, who was also seriously injured, had a blood-alcohol content of .19 as well as marijuana and morphine in his system shortly after the crash. The legal limit in Alaska is .08.

Milazzo's attorney, John Bernitz, argued at trial that his client may have committed a crime but that it wasn't murder because he did not intend to hurt anyone when he decided to flee police.

Milazzo's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 29, and he was taken into custody until then. Milazzo, a two-time DUI offender, must serve at least 20 days in jail on that charge, Bachman said. He is facing between 10 and 99 years in prison on the murder charge.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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