GUILTY FL - Jason Coker, 17, killed by drunk passenger, Eustis, 3 Oct 2004

An 18-year-old passenger who caused a fatal crash by pulling on the steering wheel pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter after prosecutors discovered a confession on his online blog.

Blake Ranking wrote "I did it" on his blurty.com journal three days after the October 2004 crash that caused a friend's death and left another seriously injured. He had previously told investigators he remembered nothing of the crash and little of its aftermath.

Blake was sitting in the back seat as he and then-17-year-old friends Jason Coker and Nicole Robinette left a party when he pulled the steering wheel as a prank, causing the car to somersault off the road.

His blood alcohol content after the crash measured 0.185, more than double the legal limit.

Robinette, who was driving and had no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system, was seriously injured. Coker lay in a coma at Orlando Regional Medical Center until he died Jan. 11.

Ranking later retracted his words, deleting them from the blog and penning an explanation.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1427985&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

From December 2005:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2005-12-29/news/LWEBLOG29_1_robinette-eustis-jason

Hill imposed a sentence of five years in prison followed by 10 years' probation for Rankling, who graduated from Eustis High School last year. The plea also includes permanent suspension of Ranking's drivers license. Many in the courtroom, including Ranking's mother, Terri Simmons, wept as they left.

The case -- three young people's lives derailed as they approached adulthood -- also focused attention on the power of online journals. Ranking had dreamed of making films, and Jason wanted to be an engineer.

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