Investigators said 36-year-old Lenford Killings was under the influence of alcohol and THC, driving more than 120 mph with an 8-month-old baby.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Authorities in Jacksonville have apprehended a father from Nassau County in connection with the death of his 8-month-old infant. The tragic incident occurred during a car crash in 2023, where the baby was thrown from the vehicle.
Lenford Killings, a 36-year-old resident of Callahan, was arrested last week with several serious charges. These include aggravated manslaughter of a child, DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, reckless driving causing injury or property damage, and DUI with damage. These charges relate to an accident that occurred on December 10, 2023.
The allegations against Killings involve him consuming alcohol, being under the influence of THC, and driving at a speed of 120 miles per hour, which led to the crash, as per the arrest warrant.
The collision took place on I-295, just below Merrill Road. Documents from the arrest warrant describe it as a single-car accident. Killings was at the wheel with a female passenger and three children in the vehicle. It was stated in the warrant that the infant was “unrestrained,” while the other two children were seated in the back.
According to the warrant, Killings was driving in an erratic manner at speeds exceeding 120 miles per hour. The car veered off the road, struck a guardrail, overturned, and hit several palm trees before coming to rest upside down.
The baby was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
The warrant also describes Killings as having red, watery eyes and smelling of alcohol. An investigator from the FHP reported that Killings’ child mentioned seeing the parents consuming alcohol, saying: “Daddy was driving and dancing and the car kept crashing.”
Killings admitted to police that he and the woman were drinking while driving and looking at Christmas lights, according to FHP.
During subsequent interviews, he claimed the woman “must have drugged him.” However, toxicology tests revealed only THC and alcohol in his system.
The arresting officer wrote that on Jan. 22, 2024, he received a lab report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement showing Killings’ blood alcohol concentration was .197%—more than 2.4 times the legal limit.
On Feb. 27, 2025, additional lab results confirmed that DNA swabs taken from Killings matched DNA on the vehicle’s steering wheel airbag.
The warrant was issued June 23, 2025. Last week, Killings was taken into custody in Nassau County and has since been transferred to the Duval County Jail.
