Matthew Bray will spend nearly five years in prison for a drunken hit-and-run crash on Interstate 35 in Merriam that killed a 17-year-old who stopped to help an injured driver.
A Johnson County judge sentenced Bray on Thursday, Sept. 17, to 52 months for aggravated battery while driving under the influence and seven months for failure to stop at an accident, Fox 4 reported, citing court records. The sentences will run consecutively for a total of 59 months. He was also sentenced for an additional 23 months for an unrelated charge of indecent solicitation of a child under 14.
Bray pleaded guilty to both charges in June 2026. He was originally charged Aug. 21, 2025.
What happened on I-35
The crash occurred just before 2 a.m. on July 27, 2024, in the southbound lanes of I-35 north of Johnson Drive in Merriam.
Court documents say Bray was driving a Kia Sorento at 88 mph in a 60 mph zone when he rear-ended a Chevrolet Equinox. He fled the scene, leaving the Equinox stalled on the interstate.
A Honda CR-V pulled onto the shoulder to help. Benjamin Van Buskirk, 17, of Olathe was a passenger in that vehicle. He got out to assist a woman in the Equinox who had been seriously injured in the initial collision, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
A Jeep Liberty then rear-ended the stalled Equinox.
Van Buskirk died from his injuries.
The Johnson County District Attorney's Office described Van Buskirk's death as a "Good Samaritan death" in its August 2025 charging announcement.
How investigators found Bray
Traffic-camera video showed Bray's vehicle exiting I-35 at Johnson Drive at 1:55 a.m., according to court documents. Kansas Highway Patrol troopers later found the Kia at the address of its registered owner, Bray's mother. They towed the vehicle after no one at the home responded.
Bray called highway patrol investigators about two hours after the Kia was seized and identified himself as the driver, court documents state.
The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Merriam Police Department investigated the case. Residents who witness a crash or have information about hit-and-run incidents on I-35 can contact the Kansas Highway Patrol or the Merriam Police Department.
