Jan 18, 2024 By Mike Jones 2 min read

A Hanover Township man who was drunk when he crashed his car in April 2022, killing his wife, pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser charges after negotiating a deal with prosecutors.

Stewart A. Wilson, 47, pleaded guilty in Washington County Court of Common Pleas to involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence before Judge Jesse Pettit, who will sentence him March 25.

Wilson was driving west on Steubenville Pike in Hanover Township on April 17, 2022, when state police said he did not see a vehicle slowing ahead of him as it was turning into a driveway near Grant Lane. He sideswiped the vehicle and then went into the other lane before striking a guardrail. Wilson and his wife, Denise Pierce-Wilson, were ejected from the vehicle.

Pierce-Wilson, 52, was taken to Weirton (W.Va.) Medical Center, where she died. Wilson was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment.

Testing showed Wilson had a blood-alcohol level of .088%, which is just above the legal limit to drive a motor vehicle in Pennsylvania. State police said Wilson was driving about 65 mph at the time of the crash. He was arrested and charged last January.

Washington County Deputy District Attorney John Friedmann said the plea deal is “in line with other cases,” although he did not divulge what the offer was. Pettit will have the discretion to sentence Wilson after listening to victim impact statements at the next hearing.

“It’s a very tragic case where a husband was driving and his wife was killed as a result,” Friedmann said Wednesday. “We took all of that, along with BAC evidence, into consideration.”

Wilson had been facing felony charges of homicide by vehicle and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, as well as the misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter and DUI.

His attorney, Randall Ricciuti, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.