Tulsa Man Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison For DUI Crash That Killed ORU Soccer Player

A man who was found guilty of second-degree murder for a DUI crash that killed an ORU soccer player in 2022 has been sentenced.

Nicholas Robinson received a 35-year sentence for the conviction on Wednesday, as the jury recommended in January 2023.

His second count on the case, DUI, was dismissed by agreement of prosecutors and the court.

The crash happened on Sept. 28, 2022, around 10:30 p.m. near 71st and Yale. Robinson was driving 73 mph in a 45 mph zone when he crashed into Eugene Quaynor, who was sitting at the red light at the intersection, according to police reports.

Related Stories:

1. ORU Student, Soccer Player Killed In Overnight Crash
2. Driver Accused Of Killing ORU Soccer Player In Crash Identified, Charged
3. Trial Begins For Man Accused Of DUI Crash That Killed ORU Soccer Player
4. Jury Finds Tulsa Man Guilty Of Murder And DUI For 2022 Crash

Quaynor came to ORU from Ghana on a soccer scholarship.

His friends said he was a hard worker, a good leader and he was kind.

"When people die, everyone overhypes them,” said Elizabeth Zellmer. “But you really cannot overhype. You can't overhype Eugene Quaynor."

Robinson will have to serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

There’s a bill making its way through the state House that would require anyone convicted of accessory to murder in the first or second degree to serve 85 percent of their prison sentence.

House Bill 2946 is named in honor of 16-year-olds Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman. The pair were kidnapped from a home in Welch, Okla., in December 1999 and presumed killed.

State Rep. Steve Bashore (R-Miami) said he filed the bill because the man who pleaded guilty in their case, Ronnie Busick, was released after only a few years.

Since Oklahoma became a state, there's been a law in place to give prisoners credits that reduce their sentences, so they rarely serve their sentences in full.

Prisoners get credit for the time they spent in the county jail and once they get to prison, they get credits for taking classes, having a job, maintaining good hygiene, a clean cell and having a good attitude with staff and other prisoners.

Level 1 prisoners get zero credits. That's people on death row or who have escaped.

Most everyone starts at Level 2, earning 22 days of credit a month.

Level 3 earns 33 days a month.

Level 4, 44 days each month.

Enhanced Level 3 is 45 days and Enhanced Level 4 is 60 days credit for every 30 served.

So, if you're on Level 2 and have a 10-year sentence, you're released after 5.8 years.

On the advanced level, for a 10-year sentence, you're out in 3.5 years.

The Department of Corrections does not consider that early release. It considers it time served based on the law.

If a prisoner has infractions or breaks the rules, they can lose credit.

You can learn more about this HERE.