Man pleads guilty in alcohol-involved crash that killed Mount Laurel restaurant owner

A 45-year-old Marlton man pleaded guilty to manslaughter involving a fiery high-speed crash he was in while intoxicated that killed a 52-year-old restaurant owner as he was leaving his Mount Laurel establishment in September, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Friday.

Desmond Newberry, who previously pleaded guilty twice to drunk driving, pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in exchange for 13 years in New Jersey state prison, Bradshaw said. His sentencing is scheduled for April 19.

Glenn Keen was exiting the parking lot of Cucina Carini restaurant on Hainesport Mt. Laurel Road just after 8 p.m. on Sept. 3 when Newberry, driving a BMW at 126 mph, struck his Ford SUV, Bradshaw said.

Keen was pulled by civilians from his burning vehicle prior to the arrival of police, and was airlifted to Temple University Hospital, where he later died.

Newberry was transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden with minor injuries. He was charged four weeks after the crash.

Newberry’s blood-alcohol reading immediately after the crash was more than three times the legal limit in New Jersey, authorities said.

Keen had opened the restaurant with his wife in 1995, his obituary said.