A West End man pleaded guilty to multiple charges stemming from a 2023 crash in Aberdeen that killed two people and seriously injured another, according to District Attorney Michael Hardin.
Darren Maurice Lindsay pleaded guilty Sept. 8 in Moore County Superior Court to two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, driving while license revoked for an impaired driving revocation, reckless driving, and driving left of center.
The crash happened Sept. 9, 2023, on U.S. 1 in Aberdeen near Mac’s Breakfast Anytime restaurant.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Lindsay was driving an Infiniti SUV south on U.S. 1 when he crossed three lanes into the northbound lanes and struck a Kia sedan carrying three people.
The Kia’s rear-seat passenger died at the scene. The front-seat passenger was taken to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a few hours later.
The Kia’s driver was also transported to Moore Regional Hospital with serious injuries, including multiple broken bones that required several surgeries. The driver survived but suffered permanent disabilities, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Aberdeen police, Aberdeen and Southern Pines fire departments, and Moore County Emergency Medical Services responded to the crash. First responders found Lindsay trapped in the driver’s compartment of the Infiniti.
“As the defendant was being removed from his vehicle with the aid of air tools, a number of police officers and firefighters smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Lindsay,” reports Hardin. “Lieutenant Ricks with the Aberdeen Police Department continued to investigate the crash and determined Lindsay was impaired on alcohol at the time of the crash.”
Lt. Ricks of the Aberdeen Police Department obtained Lindsay’s hospital records through a search warrant, and the records showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.25 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of whole blood at the time of the crash.
Lindsay was sentenced on September 11, 2026, by Resident Superior Court Judge Warren McSweeney.
McSweeney sentenced Lindsay to a minimum of 238 months and a maximum of 298 months in the Department of Adult Corrections.
Assistant District Attorney Brian Chapman prosecuted the case with assistance from Traffic Resource Prosecutor Morgan Bridgers of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.
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On-scene photo by Sandhills Sentinel Publisher BJ Goodridge. Photo of Lindsay via Moore County Detention Center.
