Jurors in Baldwin County heard graphic details this week in the manslaughter trial of a Montgomery man accused of striking and killing a 19-year-old college student with his truck during a Spring Break trip to Gulf Shores in March 2014.
Prosecutors allege that Justin Lott, 30, was driving through the 1400 block of West Beach Boulevard in the early morning hours when his truck struck Kasey Waychoff, a 19-year-old Oklahoma State University student who was walking back to her condominium with sorority sisters on the final night of their trip. Lott is accused of leaving the scene before he was later located and arrested.
He faces charges including manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death. Testimony this week focused on the hours surrounding the crash, including a bachelor party Lott had attended in Orange Beach earlier that night.
Jurors were shown police dashcam and booking video documenting Lott’s arrest by a Baldwin County Sheriff’s deputy, his transport to the Gulf Shores Police Department, and the time he spent there before being formally booked. In the recordings, Lott can reportedly be heard reacting to the crash while sitting handcuffed in the back of the patrol car, at one point saying he understood he had hit someone and that his life had changed as a result.
The deputy who conducted the traffic stop testified that he detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from Lott during the stop and that Lott struggled to complete standard field sobriety tests, including walking heel-to-toe and balancing on one leg. Lott was arrested on suspicion of DUI at the scene and later declined to take a breathalyzer test at the police station, according to testimony.
Investigators also documented the condition of Lott’s truck following the crash, noting open containers and other evidence inside the vehicle consistent with the events of that night. Photographs and video of the vehicle were entered into evidence during the proceedings.
Earlier testimony in the trial focused on Waychoff’s activities and those of her sorority sisters in the hours leading up to the crash, as prosecutors worked to establish a timeline of the night’s events for jurors. The trial, held in Baldwin County, was expected to continue with additional testimony in the days following the video evidence presentation.
The case drew significant attention along the Alabama Gulf Coast, where Spring Break traffic and late-night driving incidents involving impaired motorists remain a persistent public safety concern for coastal communities such as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Local law enforcement agencies in Baldwin County have repeatedly emphasized DUI enforcement during peak tourist seasons in response to incidents like this one.