Man pleads guilty in drunken-driving crash that killed 2 men

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An Orono man pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving drunk before a high-speed crash last summer that killed two young men, including the son of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey coach.

Authorities said James Blue’s blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit for driving when he was behind the wheel of a Bentley that crashed into a wooded area on July 24. Blue had been driving nearly 100 mph on the curvy road around Lake Minnetonka.

The 52-year-old Blue pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation while operating a vehicle under the influence, in exchange for the dismissal of two counts of third degree murder. The deal calls for a sentence of more than seven years in prison.

The crash killed 20-year-old Mack Motzko, son of Gophers coach Bob Motzko, and 24-year-old Sam Schuneman. The were invited to Blue’s home by a mutual friend and met him less than an hour before the crash, authorities said.

Blue allegedly drank shots of liquor and consumed THC gummies before the crash. Motzko had no alcohol in his blood, court documents said. Schuneman had been drinking but was not driving that evening.

Investigators say evidence shows Blue telling Motzko and Schuneman that “you guys need to live your life to the fullest because all of a sudden you blink and you’re 40 one day,” before they all drove off together.