I was unaware of this case until your posting. Actually, thanks to the URL you posted, it's clear that Dollarhide can be sentenced to up to nine years. That's a half million dollars in today's currency, per other figures in the article. The state actually couldn't have proven DUI since he could have been sober when he killed the woman. I can't imagine he was, but a jury couldn't make such a finding in the absence of evidence. The case would have cost a huge amount of money to prosecute and it only takes one juror to fail to reach a unanimous verdict, necessitating at least one retrial. It looks as though there have been dozens of motions and hearings in the last 18 months. There may have been a problem with chain of evidence, which could jeopardize any conviction. His prior record was minor, save for a 2007 DUI in which a $3,000 fine appears to have been waived. I wonder if he went to ASAP, and if he was mandated to go to treatment?