40 Celebrities Who Have Killed People
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On Nov. 3, 2021, Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was driving 156 mph with a blood-alcohol content twice Nevada's legal limit, before his car slammed into the rear of another vehicle.
"The front of Ruggs’s Corvette collided with the rear of a Toyota Rav4. The Toyota became engulfed in flames, and a “deceased victim” was found inside the Toyota," said a police statement.
Las Vegas police say he will be charged with DUI resulting in death. According to Nevada law, DUI resulting in death is a Class B felony, with punishments including two to 20 years in prison.
Ruggs is due in court Nov. 10, 2021.
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Tennis star Venus Williams got into a car accident in June 2017 which left one man dead. Williams was driving in Palm Beach Garden, FL, when she rushed into an intersection, despite not having the right of way. She was T-boned by the car.
The car's driver survived, but her husband - 78-year-old man - was sent to the ICU. He died two weeks later.
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Olympic champion and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner was involved in a fatal car accident on the Malibu stretch of PCH in February 2015. According to eyewitnesses, Jenner's SUV rear-ended a white car and sent it careening into oncoming traffic. It was then struck by a Hummer. The driver of the white car was killed, and seven others sustained injuries. Jenner was not hurt in the wreck.
Police say that Jenner voluntarily submitted to have her blood drawn for a blood alcohol test and that she was not speeding at the time. After passing a field sobriety test, she initially claimed that she was being chased by the paparazzi, but police do not believe that to be true.
Jenner later released a statement saying, "My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident. It is a devastating tragedy, and I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them. I will continue to cooperate in every way possible."
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When Laura Bush was in high school, she neglected to stop at a stop sign when she was driving. She hit another car and killed its driver, Mike Douglas, who happened to be a close friend and classmate.
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In 1987, Matthew Broderick and his then-girlfriend and Ferris Bueller's Day Off co-star, Jennifer Grey, were on vacation in Ireland. Broderick mistakenly drove the wrong way on a street and crashed into on oncoming vehicle.
The driver and passenger in the other car both died from their injuries.
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In 1969, Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick, an island near Martha's Vineyard. The car went into the water, and though Kennedy swam free, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned in the overturned vehicle. Kennedy fled the scene and waited nine hours to report the incident; he later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.
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Actor Alex Baldwin discharged a prop gun that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico on October 21, 2021. Director Joel Souza was wounded. Authorities with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said they were investigating the incident and trying to determine "what type of projectile was discharged."
No charges have been made in the incident, and Baldwin, both a star and producer of the film, has been cooperating with authorities. Baldwin released a statement the day after the incident:
There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.
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Boxing promoter Don King killed two men in separate incidents. King killed the first man in self-defense when the man was trying to break into his gambling operation. King was convicted of second-degree murder for the second incident, in which he stomped to death an employee who owed him $600.
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On January 4, 1970, The Who drummer Keith Moon accidentally killed his friend and bodyguard, Neil Boland, by hitting him with his car. Moon was trying to drive away from pub patrons who were harassing him, and he did not see his friend in the road. Moon was charged with Boland's death, for driving without a license or insurance, and for driving under the influence. Though the death was ruled an accident, Moon pleaded guilty to the driving charges.
He was haunted by the incident until the time of his own death in 1978.
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In 2001, "Noxzema girl" Rebecca Gayheart hit a 9 year-old with her car, and he later died from his injuries. She was convicted of vehicular manslaughter, a charge to which she pled "no contest."
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Legendary actor James Stewart was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force Reserve during World War II. During this time, Stewart participated in several bombings that resulted in the deaths of enemy soldiers and civilians. He received numerous honors for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak leaf cluster and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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Naked Lunch author William S. Burroughs shot and killed his wife, Joan Vollmer, in 1951. He was not charged with murder as the event stemmed from a drunken evening where the couple was playing a game of "William Tell."
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Rapper Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard were charged with the murder of a rival gang member. Snoop Dogg was defended by Johnnie Cochran and was acquitted after years of court battles.
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Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious stabbed his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, to death in 1978. When first questioned, he claimed to have found Spungen dead on the bathroom floor of their hotel room - but later he admitted that he stabbed her, but did not intend to kill her. Though he was charged with her murder, Vicious never stood trial; he died of a drug overdose while out on bail.
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In 2006, singer and "America's Got Talent" judge Brandy Norwood was involved in a freeway pile-up that caused the death of Awatef Aboudihaj. Though Aboudihaj had struck the vehicle in front of her before Brandy hit her rear bumper, Brandy accepted responsibility for the accident.
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In 1936, billionaire entrepreneur Howard Hughes hit a pedestrian with his car. The man died, but Hughes was not charged with any crimes as a result of the incident.
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In 1976, Jerry Oliver was shot to death by one of Dog the Bounty Hunter's friends when they went to buy marijuana from him. Though Dog was outside waiting in the car at the time, he was still convicted of first degree murder. He served 18 months of a five-year sentence.
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In 1984, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil was involved in a drunk driving accident in which his passenger, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, was killed. The two individuals in the other car also suffered brain damage. Though Neil was legally drunk at the time of the crash, he was never sent to prison.
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Johnny Lewis
In 2012, "Sons of Anarchy" actor Johnny Lewis broke into the home of 81 year-old Catherine David, ransacked her home, and then killed her (and her cat). He fell or jumped from a roof and died. Lewis had been born into a Scientologist family and worked for the church's drug rehab group Narconon.
Despite a later history of drug use, an autopsy report showed that Lewis had no drugs or alcohol in his system when he died.
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Four-time Paralympics gold medal runner and double amputee Oscar Pistorius was convicted of the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2015. The three fatal shots were fired through a locked bathroom door, and Pistorius claims that he thought he was firing at an intruder.
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Director John Landis was charged with involuntary manslaughter after an accident on the set of his film The Twilight Zone caused the deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two children, who were extras. Landis was later acquitted of the charge, but did pay a settlement to the families of the children who died.
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In 1933, director John Huston struck an actress with his car and killed her. Huston was not charged with any crime in the incident.
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In 2001, Robert Blake was charged with the murder of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, who was shot to death. He was later acquitted, but he was found liable for wrongful death in a civil lawsuit.
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In 2003, Lana Clarkson was found dead from a gunshot wound in Phil Spector's home. He was charged with the murder, and in 2009, Spector was found guilty and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
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Felicia Pearson
When "The Wire" actress Felicia Pearson was 14, she was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Okia Toomer. Though she was sentenced to serve two consecutive 8-year terms, she was released after just 6.5 years.
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Blues legend Lead Belly had a bad temper, and he was charged with both murder and attempted murder over the course of his life.
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Former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Dwayne Goodrich was convicted of two counts of criminally negligent homicide in 2003. While driving on a Dallas freeway, he struck and killed two motorists who were on the side of the road trying to rescue a man from a burning car. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, and he later had five more years added.
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Before Charles S. Dutton was an actor, he got into a fight with another man and killed him. He was convicted of manslaughter and spent nine years in prison.
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Director Oliver Stone enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and requested combat duty. He killed several enemy soldiers with a grenade. He was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for his heroism in ground combat, as well as a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf cluster.
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Actor Gig Young and his wife were both found dead in their home in 1978. After surveying the scene, police reported that Young shot his wife and then killed himself.
