SAN MARCOS, Texas -- A well-known San Marcos realtor who was found guilty of murder and intoxication manslaughter, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday.
A Hays County jury delivered Jason Tarr's sentence after roughly 10 hours of deliberations.
Tarr killed 60-year-old Nancy Sterling-Dalton in September 2014 after police said he drove home drunk from a golf outing.
He already had two DWI convictions, turning this third arrest into a felony, and the Hays County District Attorney pursued felony-murder charges.
Investigators said Tarr was driving south on FM-1626 near Buda when he crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a convertible driven by Sterling-Dalton. She died at the scene.
An Austin couple testified that they followed Tarr's truck for miles before the accident and became increasingly concerned as it swerved repeatedly into the opposite lane.
At the time, Tarr gave conflicting stories about the wreck, telling Buda police officer Joshua Albarez at the scene that another car had stopped abruptly in front of him and later telling state trooper Kevin Lashlee that the car had pulled out suddenly into his lane.
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When Lashlee told Tarr that he would have to submit a blood sample, the trooper testified that Tarr rolled out of a hospital bed and appeared to try to flee.
Tarr faced faced the possibility of a prison sentence ranging anywhere from five years to 99 years, including life in prison.
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