A Virginia Beach man has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a drunk-driving crash that killed a 48-year-old driver on Shore Drive in 2024. Samuel Randolph will also face supervised probation, a $500 fine and the revocation of his driver's license once he's released.
The sentencing, reported by WAVY.com, closes out a case that began in the early hours of Aug. 18, 2024, when Randolph was driving in the 2400 block of Shore Drive and collided with another vehicle. Police said at the time that the driver of that vehicle, Benjamin Alvarado Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene, while a female passenger was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. She has since recovered, according to the station's report.
Court records detailed how the crash unfolded: Randolph was turning onto Shore Drive from Atlantic Avenue at high speed, traveling northbound, when he struck the driver's side of Alvarado's car, according to pilotonline.com. Randolph pleaded guilty in Virginia Beach Circuit Court this past spring to killing Alvarado in the crash, the outlet reported. His blood alcohol level that night was .224, nearly three times the legal driving limit, and the passenger in Alvarado's car suffered a concussion and a deep cut to her scalp.
From DUI Charge to Manslaughter Conviction
Police initially charged Randolph with driving under the influence before later adding DUI manslaughter and DUI maiming charges, per the seed reporting. That escalation tracked with earlier coverage from the night of the crash: officers responded to the 2400 block of Shore Drive near First Landing Beach around 2:30 a.m. for a two-vehicle wreck, and a news release at the time said more charges against Randolph were anticipated, according to pilotonline.com's initial report.
Under Virginia law, a person who unintentionally causes another's death while driving under the influence in violation of specified provisions can be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, according to the state code cited by law.lis.virginia.gov. The Virginia Code also identifies a separate statute, § 18.2-51.4, covering maiming another person as a result of driving while intoxicated — the charge tied to the passenger's injuries. Upon conviction, Virginia law requires license revocation, though it also allows for program eligibility upon good cause shown, per the state statute on license forfeiture.
Remembering a Former Sailor
Alvarado was remembered by friends and loved ones as a former sailor from Chicago who had been stationed in Hampton Roads, according to wtkr.com. His death added to a troubling local tally: Virginia Beach had recorded 149 alcohol-related crashes and 14 drug-related crashes so far that year, after logging 308 alcohol-related crashes and 45 drug-related crashes the year before, per the same outlet.
Drug-related crashes in Virginia Beach rose 15% from 2022 to 2023, while arrests in those cases climbed 43% over the same period, according to numbers obtained from Virginia Beach Police and reported by wtkr.com in a separate article. Local law enforcement officials have described the trend as alarming, underscoring the kind of impaired-driving risk that ultimately claimed Alvarado's life on Shore Drive.
