Woodbine man acquitted in 2021 fatal crash

Following a two-day trial, a Woodbine man facing a murder charge stemming from an April 2021 fatal crash was found not-guilty Thursday evening in Laurel County Circuit Court.

William Petrey, 38, faced one lone count of murder in connection to the crash, in which he was the driver of a pickup truck that crashed along Pine Grove School Rd. in London while his fiancé was riding in the truck bed. According to press releases from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck two fence posts and a tree, causing the woman to be thrown from the bed of the truck and into a barn. The woman, Rebecca Warren, 37, of London, was pronounced dead at the scene. Petrey was charged with second-degree manslaughter at the time of his arrest, though the charge was upgraded in August 2021 when he was indicted by a Laurel County grand jury.

The jury, comprised of seven women and five men, acquitted Petrey after just over an hour of deliberations.

B.J. Foley, Petrey’s attorney, provided the News Journal with a statement Friday following the trial’s conclusion.

“I am overwhelmed with joy for Mr. Petrey. It is always difficult losing a loved one. It is unfathomable to be wrongfully accused for the death of that same loved one.  Mr. Petrey can now properly mourn the death of his fiancé,” said Foley. “I’m also grateful for the jury getting the verdict right and for their service.”

Petrey had already been out on bond prior to the trial.