Gwinnett Daily Post

Photo by Nate McCullough

LOGANVILLE -- Ten years ago, Chris Sandy made a decision that forever changed his life -- and ended the lives of two grandparents.

On April 11, 2000, the then-22-year-old attended a party and consumed four alcoholic beverages. After receiving a phone call, Sandy decided to drive to another party -- but he never made it.

"I'm here today to make sure what happened to me never happens to any of you," the Conyers resident told students Tuesday at Grayson High School.

Sandy recounted the details of the horrific Newton County crash and the subsequent 81/2 years he spent in prison. Convicted of two felony counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, Sandy is serving the remainder of his 30-year sentence on parole and probation.

"I deserve everything I got," Sandy told the students. "I wanted to go to some stupid party, and I killed two people."

Sandy said he will have to live with the negative consequences of his actions for the rest of his life, but he's determined to make something positive out of a bad situation by sharing his story.