Lawrence man to serve 10 years in prison for deadly 2022 DUI crash

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Anthony M. Royal, 56, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 123 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for a drunk driving crash that killed a 70-year-old Lawrence man.

Royal, who was sentenced by Judge Amy Hanley, entered guilty pleas in August to murder in the second degree and driving under the influence of alcohol, his third conviction. Royal’s 12-month sentence for the drunk driving conviction will run concurrently. He also will have to serve 36-months post-release supervision and register as a violent offender for 15 years.

Charges stem from an incident that occurred near the intersection of Kansas Highway 10 and Bob Billings Parkway on the evening of April 8, 2022.

“Abuse of alcohol in any context ruins lives and causes human suffering,” Valdez said. “Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is risky behavior because it poses an extreme threat to public safety for those who travel on our roadways. My office takes prosecution of these matters very seriously, and we seek to hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tatum represented the State of Kansas. The matter was investigated by the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Lawrence Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.