Almost two years after the son of a Villages couple died in an automobile accident, the man who was behind the wheel that fateful night appears poised to stand trial.
On Dec. 23, 2013, 32-year-old Brian Robert Costello had been a passenger in a 2013 Kia driven by 40-year-old Chad Arthur Prilliman of Wildwood. The accident occurred at 2:39 a.m. on Interstate 4 at State Road 574 in Hillsborough County.
Prilliman’s vehicle was traveling westbound on SR-574 in the outside lane when he failed to stop for a red traffic signal at the intersection of I-4 and SR-574, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
As a result, his vehicle entered the intersection and traveled into the path of a 2006 Nissan SUV driven by 30-year-old Ashley Barrett of Tampa.
Costello suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene of the accident.
He was the son of Villagers Frederick and Barbara Costello.
Prilliman is facing a charge of DUI manslaughter, a second degree felony. He is also facing two counts of driving under the influence with property damage, a first degree misdemeanor. He remains free on bond.
Prilliman is being represented by Tampa attorney John Fitzgibbons, a former prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Fitzgibbons recently prevailed in the case of an attorney falsely set up on a DUI charge. Earlier this year, a judicial panel recommended disbarment for the attorneys on the wrong end of that setup.
A jury trial in Prilliman’s case has been scheduled to begin Monday, according to Hillsborough County Court records.