Cody Lee Tiner was sentenced to 75 years in prison last Friday after pleading guilty to double vehicular homicide in the 2024 deaths of Midway Elementary student Hadleigh Lee and a nine-month-old infant, Loralei Golden.
Tiner, 36, entered a guilty plea to all charges in Ware Superior Court before Judge J. Kelly Brooks. Tiner pled to all counts in the indictment without a negotiated plea offer from the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marilyn Bennett's office.
After hearing emotional victim impact statements and from witnesses on Tiner’s behalf, District Attorney Bennett asked the Court to sentence Tiner to the maximum – 83 years – as the events of the night were a result of Tiner’s intentional choices, arguing Tiner ignored warnings – such as his three prior driving under the influence charges. The defendant apologized to the families and asked the court for mercy in the sentence since he pled guilty prior to a jury trial.
Tiner was sentenced on two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, three counts of serious injury by vehicle, hit and run, open container, driving while license suspended, failure to wear a seat belt, following too closely and failure to report an accident. Judge Brooks sentenced Tiner to serve 75 years in prison, followed by eight years on probation, for a total of 83 years. The sentence is the maximum allowed under the law.
Just before 10:30 p.m. April 20, 2024, Tiner was operating his vehicle at speeds more than 100 m.p.h. on U.S. Highway 82 when he hit another vehicle and failed to stop at the scene of the accident to check on the other driver. Tiner continued traveling at a high rate of speed, running a red light at U.S. Highway 82 and Hatcher Point Road at 86 m.p.h. and t-boning a vehicle being driven by Hadleigh’s father. Also, in the vehicle was another minor child and Hadleigh’s mother – all survivors suffered serious injuries, while Hadleigh and Loralei passed away the following day. The Lees were reportedly babysitting Golden and had just left a rodeo event at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds. Hadleigh passed away on her 9th birthday.
Tiner had opened containers of alcohol in the front seat of his vehicle. Officers suspected him of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both. A search warrant for his blood was granted and his blood alcohol content was .244, three times the legal limit. He also had THC, methadone and a metabolite of cocaine in his system. Tiner admitted to officers he consumed beer, liquor and other drugs the day of the wreck. Tiner’s driver's license was also suspended at the time.
