Walmart driver pleads guilty to avoid jail time in crash that killed Jimmy Mack, injured Tracy Morgan and Ardie Fuqua

Kevin Roper, the 37-year-old Walmart truck driver who plowed into the limousine carrying Tracy Morgan and his entourage — killing comedian James “Jimmy Mack” MacNair on June 7, 2014, and seriously injuring Morgan, comedian Ardie Fuqua and Morgan’s assistant — pleaded guilty Tuesday to vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated assault.

Roper took a plea deal to avoid jail or prison time.

He’ll undergo a pre-trial intervention program for three years, then complete 300 hours of community service, after which the charges would be dismissed under the terms of his agreement.

Roper answered the questions from his attorney Tuesday with a faint “yes” response, according to NJ.com reporter Alex Napoliello. Among his admissions Tuesday, Roper confirmed he had been driving his Walmart truck since the previous day, and passed rest stops despite feeling fatigued. The NTSB report previously concluded that Roper’s fatigue caused the New Jersey Turnpike crash.

Walmart settled with MacNair’s two children for $10 million in 2015, and reached private settlements also last year with Morgan and Fuqua. They both had been in comas, but eventually recovered and made it back to the stage about 16 months later.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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