Coral Gables developer sentenced to six years in prison for DUI crash into home that killed sleeping 82-year-old

A Coral Gables real estate developer who drove through the wall of a southwest Miami-Dade home in June, killing an 82-year-old man as he slept, has been sentenced to six years in state prison. Allen Matis pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 22, to DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide under a deal with prosecutors, and Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Tanya Brinkley imposed the sentence the same day, according to the Miami Herald, NBC 6 and WSVN.

Under the plea agreement, Matis, 67, will serve six years in prison, followed by two years of community control, a strict form of supervision similar to house arrest, and then six years of probation. His driver's license is revoked for life. NBC 6 reported that the sentence also includes 200 hours of community service.

The victim, Henri Bezy, was killed when Matis' SUV crashed into the house he shared with his sister. Some reports have spelled his first name Henry and listed his age as 83.

The crash

The crash happened June 24 on the 2900 block of Southwest 57th Avenue, in the unincorporated Coral Terrace area. According to the arrest report as described by the Miami Herald, Matis ran a stop sign and drove into the home. Investigators said he drove across the yard and through a wall, and Bezy, who was asleep inside, was trapped under the vehicle, a 2025 Cadillac Lyriq.

Bezy died of blunt-force trauma and traumatic asphyxia, according to the arrest report cited by the Herald. His sister, Clare Bezy, now 88, was also inside the home. She was not physically hurt, but the house was demolished.

Vehicle data showed that in the seconds before impact, Matis accelerated from a stop to 43 mph with the accelerator pressed 99% of the way down, and did not apply the brakes, the Herald reported.

A blood sample taken after the crash put Matis' blood alcohol well above Florida's legal limit of 0.08. NBC 6, citing the arrest report, said he was at nearly three and a half times the limit; the Herald described the sample as almost four times the limit. Authorities have said he had been drinking at the Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove before the crash, according to published reports.

Bodycam video and the arrest

Body camera video released by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office in September showed the aftermath. In the footage, as described by NBC 6, a detective tells Matis at the hospital that he is a suspect in a DUI investigation, and Matis is heard saying, "I didn't do this." Local 10 reported that the video showed Matis appearing dazed and asking what was going on.

Matis was not arrested until Aug. 26, two months after the crash. A few days later, Brinkley ordered him held without bond, finding that no release conditions could ensure the community's safety, according to Local 10. During that hearing, Matis' defense attorney raised the possibility that the SUV had malfunctioned, according to published reports. Matis remained in custody at the Metro West Detention Center until his sentencing and will receive credit for about two months served.

Matis is a South Florida real estate developer whose consulting firm has worked on the Miami Riverbridge project, a $1.5 billion waterfront redevelopment in downtown Miami, according to NBC 6. After the crash, the project said it would not comment further because of the active police investigation.

The plea deal

DUI manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida that carries a mandatory minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 15. Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams said prosecutors offered the deal after weighing Matis' age and his willingness to take responsibility for what she called his "egregious driving," the Herald reported.

The main terms of the agreement, as reported by the Herald, WSVN and NBC 6, are below.

Before accepting the plea, Brinkley asked Matis to confirm that pleading guilty was his decision alone, and he said it was, according to WSVN.

A judge's rebuke in court

Matis submitted a five-page written statement to the court. "I can't undo what I've done, but I do intend to use my remaining years as a force for good," he wrote, according to the Herald. He told the court Bezy's death was "a cross I am going to carry for the rest of my life," NBC 6 reported, and WSVN reported that he said he prays every night and begs for forgiveness.

Brinkley was unimpressed by parts of the statement. She called it self-serving and, after Matis spoke about his education and his charitable giving, told him those things meant nothing, according to news reports from the hearing. She pressed him to speak instead about Bezy and the effect his decision to drive drunk had on the people who loved him. NBC 6 reported that the judge stressed that Matis had single-handedly and voluntarily crashed his car into the home.

Defense attorney Bruce Lehr told reporters Matis hopes the family can forgive him and said his client had shown more remorse than any defendant he had seen.

A family's loss

Bezy was a military veteran who later worked in law enforcement and as a long-haul trucker, and relatives said he loved fishing and a good meal, WSVN reported.

In court, his sister remembered him as "that sunny, young man," according to the Herald. NBC 6 reported that she described him as a vibrant person who was always available to talk. "Now there's a void taking his place, and nothing will ever change that," she said, according to WSVN. In an earlier hearing, she recalled that her brother did not answer when she called for him the night of the crash and that she learned of his death from a neighbor the next day, NBC 6 reported.

Gary Wilcox, a family friend, told the court that June 24 would stay with him for the rest of his life, and he told Matis he hoped he understood the pain his decision had caused. Wilcox said he had promised Bezy he would take care of his sister, who now lives with him after losing her home. Outside court, Wilcox's message was simple. "Just don't drink and drive. It's as simple as that," he said, according to the Herald.

What's next

Matis will be transferred from county custody to the Florida Department of Corrections to serve his prison term. Because he pleaded guilty under a negotiated agreement, the case is effectively resolved. When he is released, he will begin two years of community control followed by six years of probation, and he will never again be allowed to drive legally in Florida.