Henry Ruggs III, a former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, pleaded guilty to causing a fatal crash in 2021, which claimed the lives of Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog named Max. 

Ruggs was driving intoxicated and at the outrageous speed of 156 mph when he collided with Tintor’s Rav4. His girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, was also in the car during the accident.

According to the plea deal, Ruggs could face a prison sentence ranging from three to 10 years, with his sentencing scheduled for August 9. 

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said that the plea agreement fulfilled three crucial goals for his office, including preventing Ruggs from appealing his conviction and sentence.

Although originally facing up to 50 years in prison, Ruggs’ plea bargain aimed to accelerate the healing process for Tintor’s family, according to his attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld. 

Ruggs will remain under house arrest with alcohol and location monitoring devices until his sentencing.

Despite the lack of a field sobriety test at the crash site, Ruggs’ attorneys claimed there was not enough probable cause for the judge to accept blood-alcohol test results from the hospital, making it difficult to prove he was under the influence. As a result, under the plea agreement, other charges against Ruggs, including felony reckless driving, DUI causing substantial injury to Kilgo-Washington, and misdemeanor gun possession, were dismissed.

In a statement, Tintor’s family expressed that no punishment could bring back Tina and Max but hoped that the public would learn from this avoidable tragedy to prevent other families from suffering similar heartbreak.