Credit: Philadelphia Police Department
A Levittown man plead guilty to murder in the third degree, homicide by motor vehicle while driving intoxicated and DUI Tuesday morning in Philadelphia court.
John Leck, Jr., 48, of the Levittown section of Middletown, was intoxicated while driving a gray 2006 Audi the wrong way down I-95 in the city early on a July 2012 morning. Leck struck Philadelphia Police Department High Patrol Officer Brian Lorenzo, 48, who was riding his police motorcycle to his home in Northeast Philadelphia.
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Court records indicated that Leck will be sentenced in December and could spend more than 40 years in jails.
Tuesday was set to be the first day of Leck’s trial. Philly.com reports the 48-year-old turned down a plea deal with prosecutors. The deal would have left him with 10 to 20 years in jail.
Accoerding to police, Leck had drank too much at the T.G.I. Friday’s in Bensalem leading up to the crash and was so intoxicated he had no idea he was entering the highway going the wrong direction.
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The officer’s widow, Linda Lorenzo has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain, saying they served Leck at least six alcoholic beverages that night. According to the lawsuit, his blood-alcohol level was .218, which is more than twice the legal limit.
Lorenzo was killed instantly in the crash and thrown onto the highway. He was a husband, father of three and Highway Patrol Drill Team member. After a large funeral attended by police from around the area, Lorenzo was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem.
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Leck lived with his elderly mother in the Cobalt Ridge of Levittown. He suffered serious injuries in the crash that took the life of the well-liked Philadelphia police officer.
