Rexroat Pleads Guilty in July 'Road Rage' Crash That Killed Steve Lacey

Patrick Rexroat of Mountlake Terrace pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of vehicular homicide and reckless driving in the July 24 crash in Kirkland that killed respected Google software engineer Steve Lacey of Kirkland.

Rexroat, 56, who had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in August and was jailed on $1 million bail, changed his plea Thursday in King County Superior Court before Judge Carol Schapira.

Prosecutors charged that Rexroat was drunk and chasing another driver when he exited Interstate 405 and lost control of his SUV, crossing the centerline of NE 85th Street and smashing into Lacey’s BMW, killing him instantly.

Lacey, 43, who also worked as a programmer at Microsoft and Facebook and was well known in the industry, lived in Kirkland’s Norkirk neigborhood and left a wife, Nabila, and children, Julian, 7 and Jasmine 5.

Prosecutors will recommend a four-year prison term when Rexroat is sentenced on March 9 at the King County Courthouse in Seattle. The standard sentencing range is 36 to 48 months.

Prosecutors say Rexroat’s blood alcohol level tested at 0.29 after the accident, which is more than three times the legal limit. Prosecutors and a Seattle newspaper quoted a witness as saying that upon emerging from his totalled SUV, Rexroat began beating his chest "like a gorilla," then walked toward Lacey’s car. According to charging documents, the witness told Rexroat to get back, that the other driver was dead, and he responded by saying “eh” and walking away.

But Rexroat’s attorney, Tim Leary, said after the arraignment in August that the chest-thumping incident was likely being mis-characterized. He said Rexroat had no criminal history and suffered chest injuries in the crash, and was likely clutching and hitting his chest to catch his breath.