A Virginia Beach man was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a drunk-driving accident that killed a 48-year-old driver on Shore Drive in 2024. Samuel Randolph will also face supervised probation, a $500 fine, and the revocation of his driver’s license upon his release.
WAVY.com reports that the sentencing brings an end to a case that began in the early hours of August 18, 2024, when Randolph collided with another car in the 2400 block of Shore Drive. According to police, the driver of the vehicle, Benjamin Alvarado Jr., was pronounced dead at the site, while a female passenger was brought to the hospital with significant injuries. The station reported that she has since recovered.
According to court papers, Randolph was turning into Shore Drive from Atlantic Avenue at high speed, driving northbound, when he collided with the driver’s side of Alvarado’s car. Randolph pled guilty in Virginia Beach Circuit Court this spring to killing Alvarado in the incident, according to the outlet. His blood alcohol level that night was .224, nearly three times the legal driving limit, and the passenger in Alvarado’s automobile sustained a concussion and a deep cut on her head.
According to the seed, police initially charged Randolph with driving under the influence but subsequently added DUI manslaughter and DUI maiming. That escalation was consistent with earlier coverage from the night of the crash: officers responded to the 2400 block of Shore Drive near First Landing Beach around 2:30 a.m. for a two-vehicle accident, and a news release at the time stated that more charges against Randolph were expected, according to pilotonline.com’s initial report.
According to the state code provided by law.lis.virginia.gov, a person who accidentally causes the death of another while driving under the influence in violation of certain rules may be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The Virginia Code additionally cites a different statute, § 18.2-51.4, which covers maiming another person as a result of driving while intoxicated—the charge tied to the passenger’s injuries. Virginia law requires license revocation after conviction, but it also provides for program eligibility if good cause is proved, according to the state’s license forfeiture legislation.
Friends and loved ones remembered Alvarado as a former sailor from Chicago stationed in Hampton Roads, according to wtkr.com. His death adds to a dismal local tally: Virginia Beach had logged 149 alcohol-related crashes and 14 drug-related crashes this year, compared to 308 alcohol-related crashes and 45 drug-related crashes the previous year, according to the same station.
Drug-related crashes in Virginia Beach increased 15% between 2022 and 2023, while arrests in such incidents increased 43%, according to data collected from Virginia Beach Police and reported by wtkr.com in a separate piece. Local law enforcement officials have described the trend as concerning, emphasizing the type of impaired driving risk that resulted in Alvarado’s death on Shore Drive.
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