Death of professor leads to manslaughter charge

By Harry Plumer

Published March 11, 2008

The man who caused a crash that led to the death of an MU professor is being charged with manslaughter, according to the Associcated Press.

William C. Downs, the driver of the other vehicle in the Feb. 22 accident that killed MU professor of Food Science and Nutrition Charles Fulhage, was charged on Wednesday.

Downs, who tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs in addition to appearing visibly drunk at the time of the accident, had originally been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in injury, a class C felony. He was also charged with two misdemeanors: driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner resulting in an accident.

The manslaughter charge increases the felony to a class B, which, according to Missouri sentencing guidelines, carries a sentence of five to 15 years, compared to no more than seven for a class C.

Fulhage, 61, was driving his 2001 Ford Ranger westbound on I-70 at 5:35 p.m. on Feb. 22 when he was struck from behind by Downs, 33, near mile marker 122, located just west of the intersection of Stadium Boulevard and I-70. Both were taken to University Hospital where Fulhage was pronounced dead four days later, on Feb. 26.

Downs escaped the accident with minor injuries and is currently free on a bail set at $5,000.

Downs, a native of St. Charles, was sentenced to two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty on Feb. 7 to an Oct. 5, 2007 driving while intoxicated charge in St. Charles County. He was also charged for possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana in St. Charles County in the summer of 1995, but court records do not indicate whether he was ever tried for the incident.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said there are no immediate plans for a university-wide memorial to professor Fulhage, but that anyone interested should contact the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, where Fulhage taught.

Fulhage earned his bacehlor’s degree in Grain Science from Kansas State in 1968 and received his master’s degree in 1970 and doctorate in 1972 from MU, both for Agricultural Engineering. 2008 would have been Fulhage’s 40th year of service to the university, and his ninth as a full time professor. He taught Material Handling and Conditioning, an Agricultural Systems Management course, which covers the basic principles of handling food and feed materials, and the Agricultural Systems Management capstone course.

The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.