A Griswold man kissed his family goodbye Tuesday and began serving a 5 1/2-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in New London Superior Court to manslaughter, drunken driving and assault charges stemming from an April 20, 2013, crash in Preston in which one man died and another was seriously injured.

Juan Davila's blood alcohol level was 0.145 about an hour after the 1:45 a.m. crash that caused the death of Lakendrick Horn, 28, of York, Ala., and serious injury to Arnold Feaster, 48, of Gales Ferry, according to prosecutor Thomas M. DeLillo. The legal blood alcohol limit for driving is .08. Davila admitted he had consumed three gin and tonics and two beers at Mohegan Sun.

He was driving eastbound on Route 2A in his Ford F-250 pickup truck when, while attempting to negotiate the right-hand curve in the roadway, he crossed the westbound lane and hit two parked cars before hitting the two men as they waited for a cab in a parking lot next to the Brookside Cafe in Preston. Horn was propelled across the parking lot and fell down a 150-foot embankment into Poquetanuck Cove.

Horn, a Navy sailor, was pronounced dead at the scene. He left behind a wife and two children. Feaster, who a witness said was sideswiped by the truck, landed on the ground and was conscious and alert at the scene. He was treated for a concussion, torn ligaments in both shoulders, a torn meniscus and cuts and abrasions, according to DeLillo. 

Horn's family members attended the plea hearing Tuesday with attorney Matthew Auger, from the Suisman Shapiro law firm, who is representing them and Feaster in a civil lawsuit against the operators of the Mohegan Sun bar at which Davila was drinking. Victim advocate Corene Leone and a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving also sat with the family. A large group of Davila's family members on the other side of the courtroom waved goodbye to him as a judicial marshal led him into the courthouse lockup.

Davila, who was represented by attorney Paul F. Chinigo, accepted a plea offer from Judge Susan B. Handy involving a sentence of 10 years in prison, suspended after 66 months served, followed by three years of probation. He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It was his first drunken driving offense, according to testimony.

Though Davila was taken into custody Tuesday to begin serving his sentence, he will not be formally sentenced until July 15, when the victims are expected to address the court. Davila had been free on a $200,000 bond while his case was pending.

Upon his release from prison, Davila will be prohibited from driving for a year as a result of the manslaughter plea, according to  Handy. She said he would be required to install an ignition interlock device on any vehicle he drives for the remaining two years of his probation. She also ordered him to attend a MADD victim impact panel and pay $100 a month in restitution to Horn's family.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter:@KFLORIN