Celebrity Justice
Lane Garrison Sentenced to Prison

A judge has sentenced "Prison Break" star Lane Garrison to a total of forty months -- nearly four years -- in state prison for the drunk driving crash that caused the death of 17-year-old Vahagn Setian.


As he sentenced him, Judge Elden Fox told Lane he thought he was a human being who made a very bad mistake -- and that he committed a crime and devastated three families.


Fox told Garrison, "I think you are truly remorseful," but sentenced him to prison because "the public needs to know crimes like this need to be punished and, unfortunately, you have to be the messenger." The sentence was based on Garrison's lack of prior criminal history and that he admitted responsibility, pleaded guilty right away and has offered the families financial assistance.

Before sentencing, a highly emotional Garrison told the victims' families he was "genuinely remorseful" and "sickened" by his behavior that night.

Garrison he will get credit for the 91 days he has already served. That, combined with California's Work Time/Good Time early release program, means he will likely be in state prison for about 20 months.

He must also pay close to $300,000 to the Setian family and to the two girls who were in the car.

Lane was quiet after the sentence was handed down and was taken away in handcuffs.

Reader Comments

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211. Wow, there are quite a few of you here who are far too harsh! A very punishing attitude.

Lane got a fair sentence, unlike the DRUNK 17 YEAR OLD girl who smashed into my friends car a few years ago while driving at approximately 70mph on the off-ramp. It was her SECOND drunk driving accident. They had to use the jaws of life to get my seriously injured friend out of her car. Thankfully she's okay now. That drunk 17 year old girl didn't do a single HOUR in jail. And guess what the parents of that 17 year old girl did after their daughter's second drunken accident? THEY BOUGHT HER ANOTHER CAR.

I agree with those above who said that whoever hosted the party and provided the booze in the first place should be held at least partially responsible.

Those 17 yr old kids need to take some responsibility for their actions.
No one who gets behind the wheel of a car while drunk believes that anything like this could happen. No one who gets into a car with a drunk driver behind the wheel believes that anything like this could happen.
For those of you who want Lane behind bars the rest of his life, this isn't murder - it's an acccident, drunk or not.

The court system isn't there just to provide some semblence of justice for the victims and their families - it's also there to protect 'criminals' from people like you - people who are out for blood. You are just as wrong as someone who thinks he should have been let off completely.

"Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful" ~ Nietzche

Posted at 2:48AM on Nov 1st 2007 by Kali

212. I think 40 months is fair. To be honest, if you really feel terrible, you would rather be punished. It's kind of a load off to know you had to pay in some way. Knowing you killed
somebody would be bad enough. But to wander around feeling like some bigger punishment, karmic punishment is just waiting to catch up with you would be worse. I would do the time gladly just to prove that I really am sorry for what i did. I think it's sad the young man here threw away his career, it's sadder that a teenager will never grow up and have children and leave a legacy. This lane person will get out in two years or so and resume life. That Boy never will. I heard a story of a woman whose son was killed by a drunk driver. Over time, she kind of adopted the boy who had killed her son as her own son. One can always hope.
cm.oursler

Posted at 1:30AM on Nov 5th 2007 by coursler

213. The prosecuting lawyer could have at least given him an opportunity to express his regret over the whole thing. The sentence is just. He is a young man and he can get past this if he stays in shape and keeps his mind and heart from staying in bitterness over the unforgiving families in this. Also, once he serves his time he should stay focused on not letting society keep him cowed and penitent for a mistake he will have paid for. Good luck to him.

Posted at 8:47AM on Nov 1st 2007 by Derek Williams

214. I think it is really good of him to be the first celebrity to admit that he did something wrong and take responsibility for his actions. For that he should only get a year. Big props to him. Come check out my radio show every wed at 7 est celebritytalk on blogtalkradio dot com

Posted at 9:27AM on Nov 1st 2007 by Unknown

215. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Had it been one of my kids killed I'd want him in there for a least 20 years.

Posted at 9:40AM on Nov 1st 2007 by Ugh

216. it was an accident!!!!!!! how can he get so much time...to bad he didnt have OJ's lawyer he would be a free man

Posted at 10:46AM on Nov 1st 2007 by deborah forbes

217. Brandy's wasn't necessarily an "accident". She rear-ended a bunch of stopped cars on a highway while she was doing @ 65 miles an hour. It has never been disclosed as to whether or not there were drugs/alcohol involved (good manager) and she has been out partying since. Lane has not. In fact, he made a fairly hard core public service video claiming that he screwed up and will always regret it. It's sad but appropriate that his mistake will be paid for by him. Brandy is still fighting responsibility.

Posted at 11:55AM on Nov 3rd 2007 by Stephanie

218. If the parents feel that justice was served, then it was. Simple as that.

Posted at 6:08PM on Nov 1st 2007 by ScarletFBL

219. #211

I don't think that anyone thinks that the boy holds no responsibility in all this (not that I'm a mind reader. I just ask people what they think). People just don't think that he should be killed for a stupid choice he made. Yeah, sure, death was a risk in that choice, but honestly, he's a kid. If the boy killed someone, it would be different.

Who would say, "Oh, well. Your son died, and it was partly his own fault," to his parents?

Lastly, Garrison didn't get the maximum sentence that he could have gotten, so I think that the judge realizes that it wasn't all the driver's fault.

Posted at 6:27PM on Nov 1st 2007 by ScarletFBL

220. Why in the world would people this his sentence is too little? He was an idiot and drove under the influence. Would you really think the same way if this guy wasn't a celeb.?? I dont think so. We live in such a celebirty obbsessed world. He's a human that played on one show. Now imagine if it was your friend in Vahagn's place, then what would you say??

Posted at 8:14PM on Nov 1st 2007 by Melanie Mousazadeh

221. The parents should be held accountable also. Why are these kids out partying underage on a school night anyway? These parents care? Not for nothing if it really mattered these kids would have been home, and if this kid didn't get killed it would be business as usual in these households. Life in Beverly Hills parents to busy to take care of what really matters, to busy keeping up appearances to be an actual parent.

Posted at 1:42AM on Nov 2nd 2007 by beachdiva

222. you can not judge anyone without knowing them, i meet lane earler this year and spent a few hours with him, he is a really kind person and does not deserve the remarks people are saying about him without even knowing him, 40 months is reaslistic for the crime he comitted that night.

Posted at 7:04AM on Nov 3rd 2007 by Matthew Stevenson

223. The sentence here seems about right, and Garrison genuinely seems remorseful. It's a shame all around, and he clearly made a terrible mistake. Sympathy goes out to the families, but also to Lane, and best wishes to him as he pays his debt to society, and attempts to pull his life back together and move on.

Posted at 4:47PM on Nov 3rd 2007 by Andy

224. lance is gorgeous the kid who died was a nobody and a geek so why the hell does lance have to go to prison what a handsome man and a waste-

Posted at 8:59PM on Nov 12th 2007 by jack

225. I think he should have been sentenced to the full amount of time the prosecutors recommended. All these comparisons to other celebrities and the time they served is ridiculous. THEY didn't get enough time, either!!

The public is too enthralled with celebrity to begin with...we put them up on a pedestal and worship their every move. It's a sad commentary on what we (the public) consider important when there is so much suffering and hatred in the world today.

Lane Garrison committed a horrible crime...he was a thoughtless, uncaring idiot in the moments that led up to the FATAL accident he caused! He needs to pay for what he did. The public needs to know that their idols are also punished when they break the law.

Posted at 7:20AM on Nov 5th 2007 by Anders

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