For Immediate Release: May 1, 2023

On April 27, 2023, in the Alexandria Circuit Court, Carlos McKethan, a 45-year-old resident of Fairfax County, pleaded guilty to Aggravated Involuntary Manslaughter-Felony and Driving Under the Influence of Drugs-Misdemeanor in connection with the death of Bizuayehu Bulti, a 39-year-old Fairfax County resident. McKethan was sentenced to 10 years of active incarceration.

The investigation established that in the late night hours of February 22, 2022, Bizuayehu Bulti was driving home from work. He stopped at a red light eastbound in the left lane on Duke Street, just past South Quaker Lane. A bus driver was stopped at a red light approximately 500 feet behind Mr. Bulti, at the intersection of North Quaker Lane, when a silver SUV operated by McKethan passed the bus and ran the red light at an extremely high rate of speed.

McKethan did not slow down as he swerved around Mr. Bulti’s vehicle into oncoming traffic. McKethan struck the back of Mr. Bulti’s vehicle, sending it crashing into another vehicle and spinning further down Duke Street. McKethan’s SUV spun out in the opposite direction, crashing into two vehicles that had been stopped at the westbound light.

Mr. Bulti was freed from the vehicle within minutes, but he soon succumbed to his injuries. Four additional victims suffered injuries, and all five cars were totaled. The Event Data Recorder from McKethan’s vehicle revealed he was traveling approximately 110 miles per hour. Officers obtained a search warrant for McKethan’s blood, and analysis by the Department of Forensic Science revealed it contained 0.04 mg/L of Phencyclidine (PCP) approximately 1 hour after the crash. In Virginia, a person driving with a concentration of 0.01 mg/L of PCP can be found guilty of driving while intoxicated based upon that evidence alone.

McKethan was sentenced to 20 years of incarceration, with all but 10 years suspended, conditioned upon compliance with supervised probation for 5 years upon release, and uniform good behavior for a period of 10 years upon release. Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, McKethan’s license to operate a vehicle will be revoked indefinitely. While on probation, he will undergo a substance abuse assessment and complete any recommended treatment.

Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jessica Best Smith and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Meghan Prieto diligently prosecuted the matter on behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was investigated by Officer Wes Vitale of the Alexandria Police Department.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter said: “This significant sentence imposed in this case holds the defendant accountable for his extremely reckless actions. PCP is a dangerous drug, and the combination of drug use and immense speed caused a tragedy in this case. My thoughts are with Mr. Bulti’s family and with the other citizens who were injured as a result of the defendant’s crimes. I would like to thank the officers of the Alexandria Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Team for their thorough and professional investigation of this matter.”

McKethan remains in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center pending his transfer to the Virginia Department of Corrections.