Jan 19, 2019 3 min read

A Brownsville woman was placed on house arrest in the death of her friend who was hit by a vehicle along the Mon/Fayette Expressway in 2016.

Justuse Nicole Mapstone, 21, was sentenced to four months on house arrest by Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen on Tuesday.

Mapstone was initially charged with aggravated assault, involuntary manslaughter, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct in the death of Daquan Woods, 20, of Hiller.

On July 31, 2016, Mapstone, Woods and two other passengers were in Mapstone’s vehicle with Woods driving because Mapstone had consumed too much alcohol during a night out.

Prior witness testimony indicated Mapstone was “flipping out” because she wanted to drive and then pulled the keys out of the vehicle while on the expressway. The vehicle stopped in the right lane in the northbound lane of travel around 5 a.m.

Both Woods and Mapstone were struck by a sport utility vehicle while they were talking outside of the vehicle; Woods was pronounced dead at the scene, and Mapstone was seriously injured.

Woods’ mother, Carla Holcomb, presented a victim impact statement, stopping throughout when overcome with emotion. Holcomb said her son’s death “messed up” her family and told Leskinen she felt lost when her son was killed.

“It’s a big loss,” she said. “It’s a big, terrible loss.”

While Holcomb acknowledged her son’s death was an accident, she asked Mapstone in court why she took the keys out of the car.

“If you didn’t take the keys out of the car, he would still be here,” Holcomb said.

Mapstone later testified she didn’t recall taking the keys out of the car.

Mapstone’s attorney, Paul R. Gettleman, told Leskinen that Mapstone had never been in trouble with the law before the accident or in the two-and-a-half years following the charges being filed against her.

“This was one of those horrible consequences,” Gettleman said. “Could they all have used better judgment? Absolutely.”

He added that she’s been employed at a full-time job and has an apartment.

Assistant District Attorney Travis Rhodes argued that what happened was unfortunate, but said it was caused by Mapstone’s misconduct.

“This was an accident that didn’t need to happen,” Rhodes said, asking that Mapstone be incarcerated for one month.

Mapstone pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors dismissed the counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and involuntary manslaughter.

Leskinen said if prosecutors could have proven that Mapstone caused Wood’s death, they would have pursued the involuntary manslaughter charge, adding that it was Woods’ choice to exit the vehicle even though Mapstone’s actions started the chain of events that led to his death.

Leskinen asked Mapstone if she would rather serve a sentence of four months on house arrest or one month of incarceration. Mapstone told the judge she preferred the house arrest sentence.