Albemarle man sentenced in fatal Culpeper crash

CULPEPER -- An Albemarle County man will spend more than two years in prison for causing a 2007 accident in Culpeper County that left a King George County couple dead.

Circuit Judge Jack Berry sentenced Alvin R. Thompson to 10 years on Tuesday, suspending all but two years and three months of the sentence.

Berry also ordered Thompson, 55, to remain on good behavior for five years and put him on supervised probation for two years after his release. Thompson pleaded guilty to the charges in December.

The Sept. 1, 2007, crash at U.S. 29 and state Route 663 killed 22-year-old Joshua L. Burke and his wife, 19-year-old Ashley Burke. Another passenger, John Lizotte, was ejected in the crash and severely injured.

According to police and witnesses, Thompson, who was driving a tow truck northbound on U.S. 29, ran a red light and collided with a pickup truck being driven by Joshua Burke.

Authorities say one vehicle had made it through the intersection before Burke's truck was hit broadside by the tow truck, which was hauling another commercial box truck.

Prosecutors say they argued for longer prison time because of the toll on the victims' families and two other factors -- that Thompson had a commercial driver's license and was operating such a large vehicle compared with other motorists.

In a statement, Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close said he hoped the sentence would "serve as a wake-up call for the importance of emphasizing and enforcing safety on our public highways."