Drunk Driver Sentenced to 5 Years After Fatal Crash and Year on the Run

Kaley Lund, who killed 25-year-old Marvin Barton in a 2020 drunk-driving crash near Sunshine Mall, has been sentenced to five years in prison after vanishing for nearly a year before sentencing. She now faces a new charge for failing to appear in court.

  • Janeka Simon
  • July 24, 2025
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Kaley L. Lund. Photo Credit: VIPD.

Kaley Lund has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Marvin Barton. The fatal incident occurred in October 2020, when Barton, 25 at the time, was struck and killed by Lund while driving along Queen Mary Highway near Sunshine Mall.

Lund, who was intoxicated at the time, was initially charged with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence, driving without a license, and first-degree reckless endangerment.

In March 2024, a plea agreement was reached in which Lund pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges with prejudice and to seek no more than a four-year sentence. Sentencing was originally set for May 31, 2024.

However, the Office of Probation requested a postponement, citing difficulty locating Barton's family and unresolved restitution issues. The court rescheduled the hearing for June 28, 2024. A subsequent request from the prosecution to delay the hearing further was denied. On June 27, Lund’s attorney informed the court that both he and the probation office had been unable to contact her for the previous two weeks.

The court issued a warrant for her arrest. Nearly a year later, Lund was located in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was arrested in June 2025 and transported back to the Virgin Islands. On July 15, Judge Jomo Meade sentenced her to five years in prison, with credit for time already served.

Lund now faces an additional charge for failing to appear in court. Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross set bail at $5,500, but due to her incarceration, she will remain in custody. A court date for the new charge has been set for November 4.

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