Published: 20:37 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 21:39 BST, 25 August 2026
A former Special Forces sniper who admitted to causing the drunken boat crash that killed a young girl and seriously maimed a woman has been sentenced to prison.
Quinten Kight, 42, will spend a minimum of 12 and a half years behind bars after admitting to charges related to the death of Brooklyn Carroll, 10.
Carroll was killed while swimming at Shearon Harris Reservoir in North Carolina on August 2, 2025.
The crash also severely injured her best friend's mom Jennifer Stehle, 41, who had to have her left leg amputated at the knee.
Carroll was entering the fifth grade at West Lake Elementary School, where Stehle worked as a social worker.
What was supposed to be a fun summer day with the Stehle family turned into a devastating tragedy after Kight rammed into Carroll and Stehle.
Carroll was pronounced dead at the scene. Stehle's left leg was shredded by the boat's propeller, and her mutilated limb was amputated after she was airlifted to a hospital.
Investigators found 39 empty beer cans on board the boat after Kight crashed into unsuspecting swimmers. The vessel belonged to his 56-year-old girlfriend, Annemarie Flanigan, who has also been charged.
Brooklyn Carroll, 10, was killed by a drunk boater on August 2, 2025, while swimming with friends in Shearon Harris Reservoir in North Carolina
The drunk driver, Quinten Kight, 42, pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years and five months in prison
Carroll was at the lake with the family of Jennifer Stehle, 41, a social worker at her elementary school and her best friend's mom. Stehle was also severely injured in the crash
Kight was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of death or serious injury by impaired boating, driving a motor boat while impaired, and operating a boat in a reckless manner.
He pleaded guilty on Monday and was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years and six months in prison to a maximum of 15 years and five months in prison as part of his plea deal.
Prosecutors said that 39 empty cans of alcohol were found on the boat Kight was driving, which had at least ten other people on board, including four children. More than 50 cans were later found in the lake.
