Tuesday, 01 September 2026 09:04 AM
Lawsuits
Defense led by Bilecki Law Group managing attorney Timothy J. Bilecki presented reconstruction testimony on nighttime pedestrian recognition; negligent homicide was dismissed before trial after the hearing officer found no probable cause
TAMPA, FL / ACCESS Newswire / September 1, 2026 / After nearly four years of investigation and litigation stemming from a fatal nighttime collision on U.S. Highway 80, a general court-martial panel acquitted Air Force Master Sgt. Matthew D. Jones on Aug. 21 of all charges and specifications. The verdict ended a case that began with a negligent homicide allegation and concluded with three not guilty findings.
The case began on Oct. 14, 2022, when Jones's Chevrolet Tahoe struck something while he drove on U.S. Highway 80 in Haughton, Louisiana, at night. Jones did not stop at the point of impact and continued home. After arriving home, he contacted his insurer and the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office and reported striking an unknown object. Deputies inspected and photographed the Tahoe and searched the route without finding a person, animal, or damaged property. Pedestrian Donald G. Finnell was found dead near the roadway the following morning.
The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office investigated Jones's report that night. After Mr. Finnell was found, Louisiana State Police investigated the fatal collision. The 26th Judicial District Attorney for Bossier Parish declined to file charges, and the state investigation closed on April 1, 2023. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations opened a military investigation the following month.
In September 2025, the Air Force charged Jones with negligent homicide under Article 134, the most serious accusation in the case. It did not survive preliminary review. After an Article 32 hearing, the hearing officer found no probable cause, concluded that the admissible evidence was not likely sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction, and recommended against referral. The convening authority dismissed the charge on Dec. 12, 2025.
By the time the case reached the panel, the members heard only three charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice: leaving the scene of an accident under Article 111, drunken operation under Article 113, and obstruction of justice under Article 131b. A separate charge of making a false official statement under Article 107 had been withdrawn and dismissed without prejudice after arraignment and did not go to the members. The panel returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges and specifications.
Timothy J. Bilecki, managing attorney of Bilecki Law Group, PLLC, led the civilian defense team with attorney Benjamin H. Gold. In closing, Bilecki asked the panel to separate the signal from the noise. The signal, he argued, was the evidence tied directly to each charge: what Jones reported that night, what the dark roadway allowed a driver to recognize, whether the government had any reliable measure of Jones's condition while he drove, and what evidence investigators already possessed before the Tahoe was washed.
Bilecki called forensic crash reconstructionist Matthew C. Dwyer, who is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction. Dwyer explained how the dark roadway, visual clutter, limited contrast, headlamp illumination, and pedestrian conspicuity affected recognition. He testified that a driver in Jones's position likely would not have recognized Mr. Finnell as a pedestrian in the time available before impact. Under the governing Article 111 instruction, the leaving the scene charge required proof that Jones actually knew the Tahoe had been in an accident. The instruction defined an accident to include a collision that injured another person or damaged property other than the driver's own vehicle.
The defense also separated the driving period from Jones's later drinking at home. The government had no field sobriety test, breath test, blood draw, or measured alcohol concentration from the driving period. On the obstruction charge, the evidence showed that deputies had inspected and photographed the Tahoe and collected exterior swabs before Jones washed part of the vehicle the next morning. Jones disclosed the washing, consented to searches, and provided investigators the bucket and sponge.
"This case was about separating the signal from the noise," Bilecki said. "The actual evidence showed that Master Sgt. Jones reported striking an unknown object that night, the roadway was dark, and our reconstruction expert testified that a driver in his position likely would not have recognized Mr. Finnell as a pedestrian in the time available before impact. This was a nighttime collision, not a crime, and the panel returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges and specifications. Nothing about this verdict diminishes the loss of Mr. Finnell's life, and our client has carried the weight of that night for nearly four years."
About Bilecki Law Group, PLLC
Bilecki Law Group, PLLC is a Tampa, Florida, law firm focused on court-martial defense and other military justice matters. More information is available at https://www.bileckilawgroup.com.
Past results depend on the facts and evidence in each case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Media Contact
Timothy J. Bilecki
Managing Attorney
Bilecki Law Group, PLLC
[email protected]
813-669-3500
SOURCE: Bilecki Law Group