Family members of a man who was killed in a horrific car crash in Cooper City is speaking out for the first time. NBC6’s Kim Wynne reports
Wendy Fielder is remembering her nephew, 26-year-old Justice Fielder, days after he was killed in a horrific crash in South Florida that has a driver facing charges.
“He had that beautiful smile,” Fielder said. “He was well-behaved, a very affectionate person.”
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Justice, who lived in Mississippi but was visiting South Florida last weekend, was killed in a car crash in Cooper City early Saturday morning.
“He will be missed by us forever and a day," Fielder said.
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She spoke with NBC 6 by phone on Monday and said the family is devastated.
“We just prayed and was praying that he didn’t feel any pain,” she said. “That it happened so fast that he didn’t suffer.”
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The crash happened around 4:30 Saturday morning near Sheridan Street and Solano Avenue, investigators said.
When deputies got there, they found the car split in half and said the driver — 26-year-old Ivan Billie Jr. — was walking away from the scene covered in blood.
Justice was found dead in the passenger seat, prosecutors said.
Billie was driving under the influence when he lost control and went into a median, then crashed into two trees, investigators said. The car kept sliding, eventually crashing into a concrete pole, knocking it over.
“His body was pretty much destroyed,” Fielder said.
Billie was arrested for vehicular homicide and appeared in bond court Sunday. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was nearly three times over the legal limit.
“The defendant had a blood alcohol level of .239,” Fielder said.
Prosecutors also said in court that according to a witness, Billie was driving nearly 190 mph.
Even so, Fielder said the family has forgiven the driver.
“We’ve already forgiven him, but I think the main thing is trying to keep that from happening to someone else,” she said.
Justice Fielder was studying to become a physical therapist with dreams of running his own practice.
“It’ll take years for us to be able to come to grips that he’s never coming home again,” his aunt said.
The relationship between Justice and the suspect was unclear.
