Former NFL player's son sentenced to 250 hours of community service for deadly hit-and-run crash

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BATON ROUGE — The son of a former NFL player was sentenced Friday to three years probation and 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead in October 2022.

Walter Andrew Brister IV, 24, pleaded guilty in September to hit-and-run driving that caused the death of 44-year-old Jude Jarreau. A grand jury chose not to act on charging Brister with a negligent homicide he previously faced.

Brister's attorney John McLindon said it's something he'll think about for the rest of his life. 

"He's been in counseling for two years. He and the Brister family have suffered tremendously, not as much as the Jarreau's they've suffered a lot more, I would like people to know the Brister family has suffered and he thinks about it every day of his life, and he probably will think about this every day."

Brister must complete 250 hours of court-approved community service work and will be under probation for a period of three years. He is also ordered, at the request of the family to speak with the LSU Football team and other college students as to the impact and effects of drinking and driving, District Attorney Hillar Moore said. 

Moore said that Brister is also ordered to pay a fine of $5,000. 

"This was an obviously tragic and emotional case that has affected not only the lives of those involved, but each of their family members and our community," Moore added. 

Brister, the son of former NFL player Walter "Bubby" Brister, was arrested on Oct. 9, 2022, after hitting Jarreau in his car near the corner of Ben Hur Road and Burbank Drive. Jarreau died at the scene and Brister left before police arrived.

Several days later, Brister surrendered himself to police and was arrested for felony hit-and-run driving.