A Georgia man’s night of drinking turned into a deadly tragedy after he crashed his speedboat into a pontoon full of friends, killing a 22-year-old and injuring several others — then immediately confessed, “I’m drunk, I’m going to prison.”
Eric Head, now 61, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree homicide by vessel, serious injury by vessel, reckless conduct, and operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol for the 2021 death of William Michael Childs.
The crash happened around 2 a.m. on July 24, 2021, at Lake Tobesofkee in Macon. Prosecutors said Head had been drinking heavily for hours while boating with a friend. After stopping for more drinks at a local bar called Fish ’n Pig, he got back behind the wheel of his racing-style boat — and moments later, tragedy struck.
According to court records, Head was speeding under a bridge when he began yelling racial slurs at a man fishing nearby. Seconds later, he plowed into a stationary pontoon boat carrying Childs and six others. The impact launched Head’s boat into the air before it crashed several hundred yards down the lake and sank.
Head and his passenger escaped unharmed, but Childs suffered a fatal head injury. A woman in her 20s was seriously hurt, and five others suffered minor injuries.
In the chaos after the crash, Head reportedly left voicemails for friends admitting he was drunk and feared he had killed someone. “Out of all the stupid things I’ve done, this is what gets me,” he said. “Please God, don’t let anybody be dead over there.”
But his plea came too late.
Head was arrested and charged in 2022. During his eight-day trial, prosecutors said he was drunk and reckless, calling his actions a “recipe for disaster.” His attorney claimed he wasn’t intoxicated and argued that Childs had also been drinking — but the jury didn’t buy it.
Head now faces up to 15 years in prison.
Childs’ family described him as a kind, adventurous young man who loved motocross and dreamed of owning the restaurant where he worked. “Will was such an incredible, selfless young man,” his obituary read. “He had so many dreams that he’ll never get to fulfill.”
Why are so many drinking and driving.This is premeditated murder