Background: William Braddy appears in court in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in April 2026 (WRAL/YouTube). Inset: Carolyn Hyde (Garrett-Sykes Funeral Service).
A North Carolina man has received his sentence following a tragic incident where he drove under the influence and fatally collided with another vehicle, resulting in the death of a woman.
William Braddy has been sentenced to approximately eight years in prison for his involvement in the death of 69-year-old Carolyn Robbins Hyde. This outcome was part of a plea deal in which Braddy admitted guilt to charges of felony death by vehicle and felony possession of cocaine, according to court documents reviewed by Law&Crime.
The incident occurred on May 8, 2024, when Braddy was driving along Highway 258 in Edgecombe County, located in the northeastern region of North Carolina. Authorities reported that Braddy, impaired at the time, veered across the center lane and collided head-on with Hyde’s vehicle, as noted by NBC affiliate WRAL.
Tragically, Hyde lost her life in the crash. This week, her family was present in court as Braddy received his sentence.
“I’m just hoping that my mom’s death was the last sacrifice to keep this guy in prison,” expressed Rick Hutchinson, Hyde’s son, to the local news outlet. “Hopefully, her sacrifice won’t be for nothing.”
Braddy’s driving record revealed a long history of traffic offenses spanning nearly three decades, which included multiple DWIs, reckless driving charges, and numerous speeding violations.
One of those instances was in September 2023, when authorities said Braddy was also driving on Highway 258 and hit a man. He was charged with crossing the center line and having fictitious identification.
Edgecombe County District Attorney Jeffrey Marsigli told WRAL in response to questions about why Braddy was still on the road in May 2024 that cases are frequently dismissed after violations are fixed, and reckless driving charges often don’t lead to prison time.
For the May 2024 incident, Braddy was given credit for 700 days of time served. His faced a maximum prison sentence of 11 years.
Hyde is remembered in her obituary as having been born in the area. Before she “died unexpectedly,” she was working part time at an area library.
