Scott P. March bought a new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 on November 1, 2025. Hours later, he was driving along Florida’s State Road A1A at speeds reaching 147 mph before attempting to pass a Jeep Wrangler in a no-passing zone, striking the Jeep’s left rear during the maneuver.
Thomas Lauck, 72, died at the scene. His wife, Julia Ann Lauck, 73, survived for five days before dying from her injuries.
March, 64, ultimately faced a prison sentence that could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life. Prosecutors had offered approximately 23.7 years, but he rejected the offer and entered a no-contest plea without a negotiated sentence.
On October 7, 2026, Circuit Judge A. Christian Miller imposed a sentence totaling approximately 47.4 years. During the hearing, Miller also confronted March over a remark he reportedly made shortly after the collision.
Seconds to Spare
The crash happened shortly after 6 p.m. near Sandpiper Ridge Road in Ormond-by-the-Sea, where the speed limit was 45 mph.
March was driving his 2026 Corvette Z06 behind the Laucks’ 2016 Jeep Wrangler. A Florida Highway Patrol charging affidavit filed in Volusia County Circuit Court describes him attempting to pass the Jeep on the left despite double-line markings prohibiting passing.
The Corvette’s front-right corner struck the Jeep’s left rear, causing the Jeep to overturn. Both occupants were ejected.
Prosecutors reported that March had reached 147 mph shortly before the collision. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida Highway Patrol evidence placed that speed approximately 5.5 seconds before impact. March began braking roughly 1.5 seconds before the crash.
The Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office reported that March was traveling approximately 110 mph during the attempted pass.
Separate courtroom testimony covered by WKMG News 6 placed the Corvette at 137 mph eight seconds before impact, with its accelerator fully depressed. The station reported an impact speed of 114 mph.
March’s blood alcohol concentration was approximately 0.13%, exceeding Florida’s legal limit of 0.08%.
Julia was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where she died on November 6 at 2:54 p.m., according to the FHP charging affidavit.
At the Scene
March had purchased the Corvette earlier that day for more than $170,000, according to the News-Journal’s reporting. The newspaper described that figure as the purchase price.
At sentencing, Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger discussed testimony from a witness who recalled March speaking about the need to replace his car after the collision.
The News-Journal reported that Miller quoted March as saying, “I guess I’m going to have to buy another car.”
Without a Deal
March entered no-contest pleas on August 13, 2026, to two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of DUI manslaughter.
His written plea form, filed in Volusia County Circuit Court case 2025 107624 CFDB, did not establish a negotiated prison term. Sentencing was left to Miller.
In a September 28 memorandum, defense attorney John Terhune acknowledged that prosecutors had offered March a sentence at the bottom of the applicable sentencing guidelines: 284.55 months, or approximately 23.7 years.
March declined.
Terhune asked Miller to impose a downward-departure sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison, followed by probation. The defense cited March’s acceptance of responsibility, limited criminal history, age, and personal circumstances.
The News-Journal separately reported that Terhune proposed a 15-year sentence during the sentencing proceedings, a different figure from the written memorandum.
The defense filing also identified a previous misdemeanor DUI conviction in 2017. Miller considered March’s prior DUI history when determining his punishment.
Years Remaining
At 64, March faced the possibility that even the prosecution’s earlier offer would keep him imprisoned for the remainder of his life.
His attorneys asked the judge to consider that prospect when evaluating a sentence below the guidelines.
On October 6, the defense filed a motion requesting judicial notice of federal life-expectancy statistics, including a reported 2024 U.S. male life expectancy at birth of 76.5 years.
Life expectancy at birth differs from the expected remaining lifespan of someone who has already reached 64. The defense nevertheless included the population statistic among its arguments for a shorter prison term.
March also described personal difficulties preceding the crash, including health problems, the death of his mother, and marital problems. He addressed the court, apologized, and asked for mercy.
Thomas and Julia Lauck’s relatives asked Miller to impose the maximum punishment.
What Remained
The Laucks divided their time between Ohio and Florida. On the evening of the crash, they were heading toward the beach to watch the sunset.
Their niece, Missy Cole, and son, Zach Osborne, addressed Miller during sentencing.
“We did not lose Tom and Julie. They were ripped from our lives, tragically, senselessly, violently, and with no remorse,” Cole told the court, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Relatives described being denied the opportunity to say goodbye. The couple’s grandchildren would never see them again.
Julia spent her final days hospitalized with severe injuries. Family members told the court she knew her husband had died and faced the end of her life without him.
Terwilleger asked for approximately 47 years in prison.
The prosecution urged Miller to consider March’s excessive speed, intoxication, the two deaths, and his behavior after the collision. The defense continued to argue that a shorter term would recognize the seriousness of the crimes while allowing for the possibility of release.
The Final Calculation
Miller imposed approximately 23.7 years on each of the two vehicular homicide counts, ordering those sentences to run concurrently. The two terms would therefore be served at the same time.
He imposed approximately 23.7 years on each of the two DUI manslaughter counts, also running those terms concurrently.
But the vehicular homicide sentences and DUI manslaughter sentences were ordered to run consecutively. One group would begin after the other, producing a combined term of approximately 47.4 years.
The sentencing structure appears in the October 7 judgment filed with the Volusia County Clerk. March received credit for time already served.
Miller rejected the defense’s request for a sentence below the guidelines, citing the seriousness of March’s driving and his conduct afterward.
The judge also returned to the statement about needing another car, made at a scene where Thomas Lauck had died and Julia Lauck had suffered injuries that would prove fatal.
Miller criticized the callousness of March’s statement to a witness, according to the News-Journal.
“I just don’t understand it, Mr. March,” the judge told him.