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SENTENCE Driver in fatal DUII crash gets 11 years Defendant also pleads guilty to domestic violence Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 1, 2016 at 5:47 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 1, 2016 at 5:47 PM » Social News A former fugitive will serve more than a decade in prison after admitting to multiple felony cases that included killing his friend in a drunken driving crash and beating his estranged wife. Christopher Michael Linder, 33, was sentenced Friday to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to Measure 11 charges including manslaughter and assault in cases involving drunken driving, a high-speed vehicle elude and a brutal, prolonged attack on his wife while he was separated from her. His driver's license was permanently revoked. Linder had been enrolled in Jackson County's Drug Court program at the time of the May 7, 2012 truck crash on Jacksonville Reservoir Road, which killed 32-year-old Casey Lee Sparks and caused a head injury to Meredee Cropper. Deputy District Attorney Virginia Greer provided to Circuit Court Judge David Hoppe photographs of the crash and photos taken from phones seized in the wreckage that showed Linder holding a 24-ounce bottle of Corona while he drank another, and a still from video showing passengers being thrown around unrestrained as Linder drove erratically. A Breathalyzer reading from Linder at the scene showed a blood alcohol content of 0.128, and blood drawn an hour after the crash showed .085, Greer said, exceeding the legal limit of .08. J. Brendon Alexander, Linder's court-appointed defense attorney, said the fatal crash happened at a time when Linder and Sparks were both overcoming their battles with methamphetamine addiction. "The truly ironic thing is these two men were helping each other," Alexander said, adding that Linder had "underestimated" alcohol. In a letter written by Sparks' mother and read by prosecutors, Sparks' mother touched on Linder's positive influence on Casey Sparks' recovery, saying she was grateful for the months of sobriety she had with her son. She wrote that she wasn't angry at Linder at first, but grew frustrated that he was avoiding the consequences of the crash that took her son's life. After he failed to appear for a court hearing in the case, Linder was arrested in September 2015 following a standoff at a Berrydale Avenue apartment complex involving a SWAT team and a BearCat armored vehicle, archives show. Linder's voice broke as he said the word "guilty," entering his plea to a felony count of second-degree manslaughter. Alexander handed him tissues, which he quietly used to wipe away tears. Linder also pleaded guilty to causing an October 2014 high-speed chase through Central Point neighborhoods that followed a drunken argument with his wife at the time. After he shattered his wife's car window by throwing a circular saw through it, he drove at speeds in excess of 60 mph through residential areas, and ran traffic lights and stop signs. Central Point police terminated the chase after Linder reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, according to a release issued by the district attorney's office. "You obviously could have killed someone else," Hoppe said. Linder pleaded guilty to felonies stemming from a July 21, 2015 prolonged domestic violence episode in which he entered his estranged wife's home through the garage and punched her while she slept on the couch. Greer provided Hoppe photos taken at the hospital and photos showing blood in the house caused by the attack. What exactly happened in the home has been contested, Alexander said. Linder also originally faced rape and kidnapping charges, and Greer said they had considered witness tampering charges because Linder called the victim on jail phones 66 times, often seeking to avoid detection by using other inmates' PINs. Before Linder's plea, his mother raised her hand to dispute the stipulated facts. Hoppe refused, saying Linder had legal representation and the the right to comment after pleading. "It should be about the truth," she said. Hoppe sentenced Linder to a total of 132 months' prison for the three cases and three years' post-prison supervision, and ordered that his license be suspended permanently. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 1, 2016 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 1, 2016 at 5:47 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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