A man who fatally struck another individual with his vehicle during a botched drug transaction has been sentenced to prison time. The incident resulted in the victim suffering a fractured skull.

On February 24, Lamont Eugene Williams received a sentence for second-degree unintentional murder in connection with the death of Alexif Loeza Galvan. Despite pleading not guilty, Williams was sentenced to 12.5 years in a Minnesota correctional facility.

Prosecutors contended that the 22-year-old sped up his car after an attempted robbery of Galvan, leading to the fatal outcome. In contrast, Williams’ defense argued that he was acting in self-defense, claiming Galvan had attacked him, prompting him to accelerate to escape the threat.

Katherine Claffey, Williams’ attorney, explained to Oxygen, “He was trying to avoid the peril of danger.”

In March of last year, according to a probable cause document accessed by Oxygen, Bloomington Police Department officers responded to a crash scene where Galvan was found lying on the road with multiple fractures and breathing difficulties.

Galvan was rushed to a hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

Galvan’s family told police that, earlier in the day, per the probable cause, Galvan had received a call from Williams, who was going to buy marijuana from Galvan. According to Galvan’s mother, her son informed her he was going to “sell something” and left. 

Two minutes later, Galvan’s mother heard yelling from outside, per the document, and she saw her son leaning into the passenger seat of an SUV while someone pulled a backpack back and forth. She said the car then lurched forward, leaving Galvan lying on the street. 

Galvan’s preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma, per an autopsy report cited in the probable cause statement, which noted his injuries as a skull fracture, a brain bleed, a head contusion, facial bruising, and fractures of the cheek, ribs and left clavicle. Galvan also had road rash on the lower half of his body, in which rocks and gravel were embedded.

“This was a horrible death,” Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Krista White said in court, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He was dragged down to the bone, his skull was crushed.” 

Police found a 9mm handgun on the front passenger seat of Williams’ car, per the probable cause statement, and a backpack containing 263.87 grams of marijuana. 

A search of Williams’ phone revealed a conversation between him and Galvan, in which Williams asked Galvan if he had any “smoke,” according to the probable cause statement, before they discussed pricing. Williams then wrote, “Finna be on my way to you like 20 min” and Galvan sent his address. Williams later wrote Galvan, “Here” and clarified he was sitting in his Jeep. 

Location data cited in the statement traced William’s phone moving away from the area of Galvan’s home and a few minutes later, a message from Williams to Galvan read, “My fault gang I had to.” 

Claffey said Wiliams plans to appeal his sentence.  

“This is a tragedy for both families,” she told Oxygen. “One young adult has lost his life and for another one, his life is altered forever.”