TOWSON — A 21-year-old Halethorpe man whose high-speed drunk driving caused a crash that killed his best friend was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Evelyn Cusson sentenced Jacob Dean Szczeszek for the Jan. 13, 2025, crash that killed 20-year-old Max Raymond Bowen.

A forensic toxicologist estimated that Szczeszek's blood alcohol level was between .18% and .20% an hour after the crash — more than twice the legal limit for drivers 21 and older. Szczeszek, who was 19 at the time of the crash, also was seriously injured.

Szczeszek pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony negligent vehicular manslaughter.

Police said Szczeszek and Bowen had spent the evening driving around Catonsville before the crash.

Around 2 a.m., Szczeszek was driving on Frederick Road near South Beaumont Avenue when he lost control of the truck. Investigators determined he was traveling about 95 mph in a 30 mph zone seconds before the crash, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Felise Kelly.

The pickup struck a traffic island, slammed into a stone retaining wall and rolled onto its driver’s side, according to police.

Bowen’s parents described in victim impact statements the lasting devastation of losing their son, who had been Szczeszek’s best friend.

“There are no adequate words to describe what it means to have lost my child. It means everything,” his mother, Mara Bowen, wrote. “Everything has changed. Nothing is or can be the same ever again. His future is gone, our future with him is gone.”

She wrote of the milestones she will never share with her son — watching him fall in love, get married, buy a home or become a father.

“The list of ‘nevers’ is ceaseless,” she wrote.

His father, Herb Bowen, recalled the everyday experiences he expected to continue sharing with his son, including national parks, coin shows, movies, concerts, side jobs and spontaneous trips.

“I was so proud of him, and we were thick as thieves,” he wrote. “I miss our talks but I’m glad I never missed the chance to tell him I loved him while I could and I will love him forever as will he live on in my heart.”

Kelly asked the judge to hand down a sentence that would serve as a warning to others.

“It is not just alcohol and driving that kills individuals … it is speed as well,” Kelly said. “Speed kills just the same.”

Szczeszek had been cited for speeding twice in December 2023 and was ordered to complete a driver improvement program, which he completed in January 2024, Kelly said.

She recommended a sentence of 18 months in the county jail.

Defense attorney Joseph Murtha asked Cusson to impose no more than one year, arguing that a longer sentence was unnecessary and that nothing would punish Szczeszek more than his own conscience.

“He will live with the haunting memory that he is responsible for taking the life of his best friend,” Murtha said.

Murtha told the judge the two young men were extremely close. Szczeszek initially thought he would not get along with Bowen when they met because Bowen wore suits to school every day, Murtha said. But they soon discovered they had much in common and became close friends.

Murtha said Szczeszek is extremely remorseful but was unable to speak in court Tuesday. Instead, he gave Cusson a letter his client had written to Bowen’s family expressing his sorrow and guilt over his friend’s death.

“The circumstances are really shocking,” Cusson said, noting that both young men had been drinking and smoking marijuana and neither was wearing a seat belt.

“There’s so much suffering that has been caused which …was avoidable if different choices were made,” she said.

Cusson sentenced Szczeszek to 10 years in prison with all but 18 months suspended, with the active portion to be served at the Baltimore County Detention Center. He will serve three years of supervised probation and will be prohibited from driving for one year after his release.

Cusson also ordered Szczeszek to pay $24,791 in restitution to Bowen’s family.