Three years in jail; a lifetime of regret

ST. PETERSBURG - Late Friday afternoon, 20-year-old Melissa Daddio was lead, in tears, from a courtroom off to prison where she will spend the next three years.

Just a day earlier, she was speaking to students at Indian Rocks Christian School. Daddio spoke to students about the night she was driving drunk.

Her comments to a judge were similar to those at the school.

"The first thing I heard was screaming from every one that was there," Daddio said.

Ryan King, Daddio's boyfriend, was killed in the crash, and a passenger was seriously injured.

Daddio's blood alcohol level was .147, almost twice the legal blood-alcohol limit. Since the crash in February 2009, Daddio has been speaking often about the dangers of drinking and driving.

She's joined Bruce Murakami, the founder of Safe Teen Driver, for many of those presentations.

"Life is something that most people take for granted, and your life can completely change in one second. And one second is all it took for me, your honor," Daddio said.

Because of her remorse, Judge Timothy Peters cut 11 years from a possible 14-year prison term, sentencing Daddio to three years in prison.

Prosecutors recommended the lighter sentence at the request of King's family.

"I wanted Melissa to be held accountable," Denise King said. She added "...prison time is not what we were looking for we were looking for an alternative to strict punishment."

Daddio's attorney, George Tragos, insisted his client could do more good campaigning against drinking and driving than spending 14 year in prison.

"I would like the thank the State Attorney's office for recognizing a very special girl, a very special talent in Melissa Daddio, and in her ability to reach young people, and to save others from the tragedy she's facing," Tragos said.