'American Idol' Star Caleb Kennedy Charged With Felony DUI After Crashing Truck, Killing One
Caleb Kennedy, a former contestant on American Idol, has been charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in death after allegedly driving his truck into a building and killing the man inside.
According to PEOPLE Magazine, who spoke to Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Kennedy crashed his truck into a workshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon.
"A 2011 Ford pickup was traveling north on West Murph Road when the vehicle traveled onto a private drive at 269 West Murph Road and struck a building," Trooper Ridgeway told the outlet. "A person inside the building sustained fatal injury as a result of the collision."
"The driver is identified as Caleb Andrew Kennedy, 17-year-old male from Roebuck, South Carolina," Trooper Ridgeway continued. "This crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. There will be no further updates at this time."
The victim killed in the collision was later identified as 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris who, according to the Spartanburg County Coroners Office, was pronounced dead at the hospital three hours after the crash.
Kennedy made headlines last year after advancing to the Top 5 final contestants of American Idol’s 19th season. But he was removed from the show after a controversial video resurfaced depicting the former contestant with a close friend who was wearing an outfit very similar to that worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” the teenager revealed on Instagram after being kicked off of the show for the Snapchat video. “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse.”
“I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down. I’ll be taking a little time off social media to better myself, but saying that, I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me,” he continued. “I’m so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect! Thank you for supporting me.”
Although Kennedy’s mom/manager has not issued a statement regarding the fatal crash involving her son, the young musician is reportedly still behind bars.