Kansas man convicted in drunken driving crash that killed son

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (WDAF) — A 35-year-old Tonganoxie man is sentenced on charges related to the murder of his 9-year-old son and the two children injured in an April 2022 car crash.

Shane Michael DeGraeve was sentenced Friday to 11 years and 3 months by the Kansas Department of Corrections.

DeGraeve was convicted last month of second-degree murder. He was also charged and convicted of three counts of aggravated child endangerment and driving under the influence and was responsible for a single-vehicle crash that occurred in rural Leavenworth County.

According to investigations by the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol, DeGraeve was speeding in the area of ​​Easton Road and Kansas Highway 92 when his pickup truck rolled after driving into a ditch and striking a sign.

DeGraeve's son was ejected from the passenger seat of the truck, which was found to be equipped with two seat belt “silencers” used to prevent occupants from buckling up upon further investigations. The boy later died in hospital.

Two children were also in the back seat of the truck and were taken to a hospital for treatment, according to Leavenworth County Prosecutor Todd Thompson.

Thompson also said law enforcement smelled alcohol coming from DeGraeve's breath, as well as other signs of impairment.

When questioned, DeGraeve told law enforcement he was run off the road, but witnesses and evidence contradicted those statements, according to investigators.

Court documents indicate DeGraeve's blood alcohol level was 0.083. The legal limit in Kansas is 0.08.