SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Seminole County judge sentenced 21-year-old Isaiah Leader to 6 years in prison on Wednesday for the death of his close friend, Cordell Rohde.
Leader plead no contest to DUI manslaughter charges.
Investigators said Leader was driving more than 100 mph on Red Bug Lake Road last summer when he crashed into a barrier under an overpass on State Road 436 killing 23-year-old Rohde, who was the front seat passenger.
“He was loving, caring, adventurous. June 4th is by far the worst day of my life,” Leader said.
Before Leader was sentenced on Wednesday, he read a letter to the judge and the victim's family.
"It might not be much, but I want to apologize to his parents, his friends, family," Leader said.
Leader’s family members also stood in front of the judge and asked for a lighter sentence since he was only 20-years-old at the time of the crash.
"Isaiah is not a criminal. He's a good person...he just made a bad decision," Leader's great grandmother said.
Rohde’s mother told News 6 she was not satisfied with Leader’s punishment and believes he should’ve gotten 21 years in prison for the death of her son.