A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 270 days in the Hillsborough County Jail in connection with the death of a Villages couple’s son nearly two years ago.
Chad Prilliman, who works as a manager in The Villages, on Monday in Hillsborough County Court withdrew his previous plea of not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence (over .15) in connection with the Dec. 23, 2013 death of 32-year-old Brian Robert Costello of The Villages. Costello had been a passenger in Prilliman’s vehicle when it crossed into the path of an oncoming SUV at 2:39 a.m. on Interstate 4 at State Road 574 in Hillsborough County. Costello suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene of the accident.
Prilliman had been charged with DUI manslaughter, a second degree felony. However, Tampa attorney John Fitzgibbons, a former prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, negotiated a deal that would see his client sentenced on the lesser DUI charge.
According to court records, Costello’s mother was present for Prilliman’s sentencing in Hillsborough County Court. Brian Costello’s father, a resident of the Village of Polo Ridge, died this past week. Services for Frederick Costello are set for Tuesday.
