BEAUFORT, SC (Sept. 19, 2024) – A speeding drunken driver who caused a deadly multi-vehicle collision at a Bluffton intersection is heading to prison.
Carlos Mauricos Acosta Galvez, 40, of Bluffton, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Beaufort County General Sessions Court to felony driving under the influence with death in the Aug. 6, 2023, collision that killed motorcyclist Marc Ernest Garrity. Galvez was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Galvez was driving more than 100 mph and had a blood-alcohol content level of .169, more than twice the legal limit, when he crashed into a SUV that struck Garrity. Following the collision at the intersection of U.S. 278 and Buckwalter Parkway, Galvez tried to leave the scene but was arrested by law enforcement officers before escaping.
“The facts in this case made it clear Mr. Galvez had absolutely no regard for the value of human life,” said Sara E. Malone of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “He was sentenced accordingly in state court and also faces federal charges.”
On March 21, 2024, Galvez was also convicted in U.S. District Court for illegal reentry of an alien. He was sentenced to time served and one year of supervised release. His federal case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean H. Secor.
Galvez also pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving under the influence resulting in great bodily injury. He received a 15-year sentence. Both state sentences are to be served concurrently. Once Galvez completes his state prison sentence, he will then face deportation.
Galvez’s criminal record includes convictions for being an alien present without admission or parole (2020).
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down the sentence.
Malone is a member of the Solicitor’s Office Special Victims Unit, which prosecutes domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and other crimes against the vulnerable. She primarily prosecutes cases in Beaufort and Colleton counties. She has been with the Solicitor’s office since 2022.
