Impaired man who caused

fatal crash in his boxers 

is sentenced to 15 years

PANAMA CITY, FL – A man who testified he “loved” drinking and did so daily was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for DUI-Manslaughter, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Anthony Charles Hill Jr., 49, of Panama City, was found guilty of crossing the centerline and hitting a disabled vehicle that flipped into the air, crushing and killing Javis Whipple. The defendant emerged from his vehicle wearing only his boxer shorts and was estimated to have had a BAC of up to .23 at the time of the April 14, 2023 wreck.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay issued the maximum sentence after final statements from Chief Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham and the defense. Four of the 15 years are minimum-mandatory. His driver’s license is permanently revoked.

“The victim in this case was 23 years old; he was headed for college,” Graham told Judge Gay. “The defendant chose to drink and drive recklessly, and he caused the wreck that took Javis Whipple’s life.

“I would submit the defendant has shown no remorse nor accepted any accountability for his actions,” Graham continued. “Even on the stand he lied to avoid the consequences of his actions, and I think that’s significant.”

Graham also noted the defendant had a “significant” prior record that included a half-dozen felony arrests.

At trial, Graham and Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke called 15 witnesses and presented evidence proving the defendant was guilty. The defendant denied being impaired, saying he only started drinking after the wreck.

Under cross-examination, he said he “loved” drinking and did so daily, but testified he only started chugging liquor that day after the wreck because his passenger/paramour was nagging him.

The evidence showed the victim’s car broke down on County 22-A near Cherry Lane on the night of April 14, 2023. A friend came to help and was parked behind the victim. Both vehicles, facing north on the side of the road, had their headlights and hazard lights on.

The defendant was driving south when he crossed the centerline and hit the victim’s Challenger head-on. The Challenger flipped backward, hitting and killing the victim before coming to a rest nearly 50 feet away in a graveyard.

Hill’s car was going 60 mph in the 35-mph zone.

Williams and other witnesses said Hill got out of his car wearing only a red pair of boxer shorts, appeared impaired, and repeatedly said he did not hit the Challenger and did not know what had happened. Hill at that time claimed he had not been drinking.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol for their response that night and the ensuing accident reconstruction.

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