UGA student indicted for vehicular homicide

Benhur G. Tesfai

By Joe Johnson

A University of Georgia student has been indicted for killing a pedestrian with his car last year while driving drunk.

Benhur Tesfsi, 22, is charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, hit and run, and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the indictment filed Tuesday in Superior Court.

The charges are for the April 2024 incident that killed 34-year-old Michael Kitchens.

Michael Kitchens

According to a police accident report, Tesfai had three other UGA students in his car when driving home from a night of drinking in downtown Athens.

The car struck Kitchens on West Broad Street in front of Beech Haven Church at about 3:40 a.m., according to the report.

An officer who was nearby and heard the sound of the collision responded to the scene and found Kitchen lying unresponsive in the roadway, but the vehicle that struck him had driven off.

After arriving home at The Connection apartment complex off Ultimate Drive, the report states, Tesfai called 911 to report that he’d been in an accident.

He reportedly told police that he knew that he had struck something, but did not know what, and he drove away from the scene because he panicked.

The report notes that the windshield of the student’s car had been shattered, with pieces of glass scattered around the interior, and some hair stuck in the car frame.

Tesfai had on his breath a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, according to the police report, and he admitted to drinking lemon drop shots at Cloud Athens, a nightclub on East Clayton Street.

He was arrested after falling roadside sobriety tests.

Tesfai remains free on bond and he is scheduled to be arraigned on July 15th.

Y