Former American Idol Finalist Charged with Felony DUI Following Fatal Crash

17-year-old Caleb Kennedy, who reached the top five of American Idol last year before withdrawing under a cloud of controversy, has been charged with a felony DUI resulting in death after his vehicle allegedly struck a building and killed a man inside.

WYFF reports that Kennedy was driving a 2011 Ford pick-up truck around 12:40 in the afternoon in Spartanburg, South Carolina when he veered off the road and into a building. The 54-year-old victim, Larry Duane Parris, was pronounced dead at a local hospital three hours later. Kennedy was expected to appear in court for a hearing Wednesday morning.

Last year, a then-16-year-old Kennedy made a deep run on American Idol Season 19. But after reaching the final five he abruptly left the competition after one of his old social media posts gained national attention. In a video made when he was 12, Kennedy appeared next to a person wearing a white hood, which many people believed was in the style of the Ku Klux Klan.

In response, Kennedy released a statement that read, “There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.”

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