Brown City man sentenced up to 35 years in prison for fatal crash

James Stanich, the Brown City man convicted of second degree murder after he caused a fatal crash while intoxicated after huffing a keyboard cleaner, was sentenced yesterday to between 25 and 35 years.

Stanich, also convicted of operating while intoxicated during the March 2021 crash that killed 30-year-old Graham Wiltse, apologized to Wiltse’s loved ones after hearing many of them speak at his sentencing hearing, with Wiltse’s mother writing that Stanich’s decision to drive that night showed he had no regard for himself or others’ wellbeing. St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Michael West agreed, adding that “The level of intoxication and the risk [Stanich] put countless people in on that day is overwhelming.”

In addition to his prison time, Stanich has to pay more than $2,000 in restitution, and he does have credit for 437 days (about a year and less than three months) served.