Philadelphia man sentenced to jail for killing a 6-year-old girl while driving drunk in 2019
Darrin Forrest, 56, struck Jennifer Portillo as he was parking his car at a bar in Upper Darby in 2019, police said.
A Philadelphia man was sentenced to up to nearly two years in jail this week after pleading guilty to running over a 6-year-old girl in Upper Darby in 2019 while driving drunk.
Darin Forrest, 56, of Frankford, entered the plea to involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle, and DUI on Thursday during a hearing before Delaware County Court Judge George Pagano. The judge ordered Forrest to serve a term ranging from one year minus a day to two years minus a day, as well as five years’ probation.
During the hearing, Forrest profusely apologized, saying the sorrow he felt over killing Jennifer Portillo “cannot be measured in pounds.”
Jennifer was walking with her family along Marshal Road in Upper Darby in March 2019 when they passed Rudy’s Tavern, police said. Forrest had just arrived at the neighborhood bar after having a few drinks at the nearby Waterford Inn.
Forrest sharply accelerated his Lincoln Navigator as he backed out of a parking spot at Rudy’s, striking Jennifer, who had run ahead of her family, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
Medics transported her to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Detectives determined that Forrest was driving between 15 and 22 mph at the time of the crash, and a blood test showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.106%, the affidavit said. In Pennsylvania, a person is considered driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of .08%
Forrest told detectives he had checked his mirrors and didn’t see anyone, but then “heard something and people screaming.”