MAYS LANDING — A former Middle Township High School and Philadelphia Kixx soccer star was sentenced to 5 ½ years in state prison today (Thursday, Jan. 7) for a drunk driving crash that killed a Philadelphia man on March 7.
Before being eligible for parole, Matthew Maher, 25, of Court House, must serve 85 percent of the sentence for aggravated manslaughter handed down by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Donio.
Maher plead guilty to manslaughter and driving while intoxicated in October.
According to Curt Baker, assistant prosecutor for Atlantic County, Maher admitted to drinking for several hours at two different bars in Philadelphia on the night of the accident. He got into his vehicle and traveled at a high rate of speed down the Atlantic City Expressway. He acknowledged that at 2:51 a.m. while driving down the Expressway in the Hamilton Township area he crashed into a vehicle driven by Hort Kapp. The impact caused both vehicles to leave the roadway. Kapp, 55, was partially ejected from his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to the aggravated manslaughter sentence, Maher also received a five-year suspension of his driver’s license to be served upon his release from prison. Maher’s blood alcohol content was .21 an hour after the crash. He will also have to pay various fines and surcharges associated for DWI.
