JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A St. Augustine man responsible for the death of a University of North Florida student in 2021 while driving drunk, was sentenced to 12 years and four months in prison Friday in a Duval County courtroom. Additionally, the judge handed down two years of probation and a permanent drivers license suspension.
Michael Motley, 62, killed UNF student Megan Mooney in a DUI crash on U.S. Highway 1 and Gran Bay Parkway around 3 a.m. in August 2021, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Investigators say Motley who was 61 at the time of the incident, was arrested more than a year later after Mooney's death.
According to court records, Motley is being charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and DUI with damage. The FHP crash report stated Motley had a blood alcohol level of .174, which is more than twice the legal limit.
Mooney, who was 22 when she was killed, was a criminology major who played golf at UNF. She was also a cashier at Publix and worked with security at the Jacksonville Beach bar, Surfer. She was also a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.
Inside the courtroom Friday, before Motley learned his fate, Mooney's family and friends told the judge what her loss meant to them.
"Megan was the sister I never had," friend Ashlyn Dugan said. "She was robbed of so much."
Mooney's friends, Ashlyn Dugan, Lindsey and Lauren Green say they met as students at the University of North Florida. Dugan described Megan as humble, ambitious, and says she wanted to pursue a career as a police officer. Green described Mooney as 'extraordinary.'
"Megan was following every law and she's the only one that isn't here with us today," Lindsey Green said.
"We as a society are better than this. Uber, Lyft, there are countless companies that keep these drivers off the road," Lauren Green added.
Michael Motley kept his head down, occasionally wiping tears from his eyes, and shaking his head as Megan’s family and friends talked about him.
“I have dreaded looking at Mr. Motley in the face because I have spent the last two years despising him," Mooney's mother Carrie Mooney said.
Just feet from the man who took the life of their daughter, Megan Mooney's parents, John and Carrie Mooney called Motley's decision to get behind the wheel drunk 'disgusting and inexcusable.'
“Did she suffer waiting for an ambulance to reach her? What thoughts were going through her head? I wish it were me, it should have been me, my body is worthless," Carrie Mooney said.
"There is no excuse for someone getting behind the wheel drunk," John Mooney said.
John Mooney says now he only has memories of his daughter.
“I am grateful to have had her as my daughter for the short 22 years," John Mooney said. "My only wish is that she is not forgotten.”
“I can’t wait to see you again darling girl," Carrie Mooney said.
Motley was given the option to make a statement Friday afternoon in the courtroom but declined.
The judge told Motley there is only one person at fault for Mooney's death, himself.
Motley was sentenced 12 years and 4 months plus two years of probation for DUI manslaughter. He is required to complete DUI school and cannot have any alcohol while on probation. His license is permanently suspended.
Mooney's family sent First Coast News the following statement in August 2022 following Motley's arrest, remembering their lost loved one:
"Megan’s parents, John & Carrie Mooney and her 2 brothers, Johnny & Kevin Mooney have been devastated this entire year living without their beautiful daughter and sister. We finally received the excellent news via a phone call last Thursday 8/26 from the lead FHP detective, Corporal Jason Tolman, that Michael Motley had at long last been arrested and that Corporal Tolman was the one who got to go arrest him which meant a great deal to us since Corporal Tolman had been by our side from Day 1 of this living nightmare and throughout the entire investigation process. It’s every parents worst nightmare to face losing a child in such a wasteful horrific way.
Megan never ever deserved such a fate as she was the most loving easy angel to raise as a child. From the time she was 3 years old we could tell there was something different about Megan. She’d literally give kids the clothes off her back if they needed it or loan them lunch money or let them get ahead of her in line. That carried on into her adulthood. We’ve had countless girlfriends and friends of her she’s had all her life say to us that they adored our daughter and that she made such a huge impact on their lives mainly because of her selflessness, loyalty as a friend and smiling easy-going nature. Her college girlfriends all had a very personal special stories to share with us about our sweet daughter that has warmed our hearts.
She was a hard worker, working not 1 but 2 part-time jobs thru high school & college. She was a Criminology major at UNF and had only been working at Surfer less than a year. Her job at Surfer was to assist management and the police with Security. Her job was to call Ubers for kids so they wouldn’t try to drive away in a car inebriated. She gave hand signals to the police at the door to communicate that an individual may have had too much to drink. How painfully ironic and catastrophic that she gets hit and killed by a drunk driver.
Megan was a true athlete.
She was quarterback for her high school flag football team and placed All Hillsborough County and also played on the Girls Varsity Golf Team.
She was voted by her Catholic school peers to having the most loving nature in order to play the role of the Virgin Mary in the Passion of Christ reenactment in 8th grade. She attended Nativity Catholic School for 11 years in Brandon, Fl.
UNF awarded us..her family.. with her BA in Criminology posthumously in Dec after her death. She was only 3 classes shy of graduating when she passed."
