A man who's had decades of neglecting traffic laws was in court on Monday morning.
William Braddy accepted a plea deal in the death of Carolyn Robbins Hyde, where he faced felony death by vehicle and driving while impaired charges.
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His active sentence is 100-to-132 months for pleading guilty to felony death by vehicle and a 6-to-7-month suspended sentence with the condition of probation for pleading guilty to felony possession of cocaine.
In court, Braddy accepted a plea deal and received a probationary period in addition to his sentence, and he will have to complete some community service and take part in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.
It was a day that Hyde's family has been waiting for since she was hit and killed by Braddy in 2024. One of the most emotional moments was when her 93-year-old father spoke in court. He said he never thought he'd outlive his daughter.
Carolyn Hyde's son sent WRAL News 25 photos of her. They'll show you she was a mom, a grandma, and a teacher, but her son said they can't fully sum up who she was.
"Her whole life has been about sacrificing for everybody else," said Rick Hutchinson.
It's been almost two years since Hyde was hit by William Braddy while driving on Highway 258. According to the arrest warrants, he was driving under the influence and crossed the center line. In court, he addressed Hyde's family directly.
"I would like to ask the family to forgive me," Braddy said.
WRAL found Braddy's record is riddled with nearly 30 years of traffic violations, including multiple DWIs, reckless driving charges and speeding violations.
It makes Hyde's family wonder why he was even on the road that day.
"I'm just hoping that my mom's death was the last sacrifice to keep this guy in prison, and so hopefully her sacrifice won't be for nothing," Hutchinson said.
We asked Edgecombe County District Attorney Jeffrey Marsigli how someone with so many violations could still be out on the road. In a statement, Marsigli said cases are often dismissed after violations are corrected and reckless driving charges don't often lead to prison time.
We asked him specifically about past DWI charges, to which he said he couldn't speak to those circumstances, saying, "In the case handled by our office today, it was imperative that any resolution would involve this individual going to prison."
