The manslaughter trial of former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent began on Jan. 13 with lawyers arguing whether or not the former defensive tackle was intoxicated when he crashed his car and killed teammate Jerry Brown Jr., according to Reuters.
Brent could face two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.
Prosecutors said to the Dallas County court that Brent, 25, was indeed operating the vehicle with "reckless abandon" and two officers testified that Brent was drunk at the time.
"He was so intoxicated, he did not appreciate the danger of traveling at that high rate of speed when he exited (the highway)," said Dallas County prosecutor Heath Harris to the jury this week.
Brent has been accused of being drunk at high speeds when his Mercedes flipped over and caught fire on Dec. 8, 2012.
Both officers shared similar stories that Brent mentioned more than once that he just wanted to go home and even asked for a ride home from the officers.
"I don't know if he realized the gravity of the situation and what had just occurred," officer Kevin Palms said to the jury, according to Reuters.
By the time police arrived at the scene of the crash, they found Brent "dragging" Brown, 25, out of the burning vehicle. The vehicle could be seen on its roof in the middle of the road.
Brown did not die at the scene, but later passed away at a Dallas hospital shortly after.
Brent's lawyers confirmed that their client did make a terrible mistake, but he was not drunk while he was driving his car.
Defensive lawyer George Milner said to the court that the amount of liquor Brent consumed before driving was "not enough" to get him drunk due to his large stature, according to Reuters.
Brent was 320 pounds at the time of the incident.
"Josh Brent is as big as a house," Milner said. "He's guilty of being stupid behind the wheel of a car. He is guilty of driving too fast. We're not going to dispute that."
An officer at the scene of the crash smelled alcohol on Brent's breath and also found an unopened bottle of cognac inside the vehicle.
Brent refused to take a blood sobriety test but was forced to do so after Brown died.
Police documents confirmed that Brent's blood alcohol level was 0.189, whereas the legal limit in Texas is 0.08.
The trial could take two weeks to be completed, according to Reuters.
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