Guilty plea in deadly DUI crash that devastated a family

SEATTLE -- Mark Mullan, the man accused of killing two people and seriously injuring two others, broke down in tears as he pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and other charges Thursday.

Mullan caused a lot of tragedy last March when he struck a family crossing NE 75th Street in Wedgwood with his pickup truck. In an instant, two grandparents, Dennis and Judy Schulte, were hit and Karina and her 10-day-old son, Elias, were seriously injured. Mullan was drunk at the time, more than three times the legal limit.

"We're relieved he's decided to accept responsibility for his actions," Dan Schulte said. Schulte was at work when his parents, wife and son were in the accident.

Schulte called the last six months a roller coaster of emotions. Karina, was badly hurt and remains in a rehab facility after suffering a stroke. Elias is back home, but faces major surgery in a few months.

Since the crash, Dan and his sister Marilyn have pushed for tougher drunk driving laws in Washington state.

Mullan had five prior DUI's. He also had a suspended license and was on probation for drunk driving when he crashed into the Schulte family. The plea agreement will put him behind bars for the next 18 years.

"My hope is that while he is in jail, he gets the treatment that he needs so that when he does get out this won't happen again," Marilyn Schulte said

The Schulte family is currently suing the city of Seattle for failing to supervise Mullan while he was on probation for drunk driving, and for not making sure he had the required interlock device installed in his truck, one of the many charges he plead guilty to on Thursday.