August 19, 2026
PRESS RELEASE
(Walton County, Florida) Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, announced that on August 18, 2026, Walton County Circuit Judge J. Ryan Love sentenced Justin Echternacht to 14 years in State Prison followed by 1 year State Probation upon his release from prison for the charge of DUI Manslaughter.
On September 28, 2023, around 5:30 am, Echternacht drove his truck over the center line on Highway 90 into an oncoming pickup truck, killing the driver of the other vehicle in a head on collision. Echternacht tested positive for Cocaine and Tetrahydrocannabinol and had a blood alcohol level of .104 more than two hours after the crash.
The investigation and arrest were conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol with assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Angela Liles prosecuted the case on behalf of State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden. For further information, please contact Ms. Liles at (850) 892-8080.
