Boys killed in Delafield crash; father sentenced to 35 years prison

WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha County judge sentenced Paul Vinson on Monday, Nov. 18 to 35 years in prison plus another 32 years of extended supervision in connection with a Waukesha County pursuit led to a fatal rollover crash in December 2023.

Two 10-year-old boys, Paul and Zapaulion Vinson, were killed in the wreck. The boys' father, identified as Paul Vinson, was accused in the case. 

Vinson pleaded guilty in September to five charges against him – including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and injury by use of vehicle-controlled substance. Thirteen other charges were dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing. 

Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper said Vinson could have easily been charged with *several hundred* more felonies. Opper said Vinson violated a court order – and was in contact with the living victims multiple times from jail. 

Opper also said Vinson also called his father and told him, "There was only one way he could get out of this." Investigators say he tried to get his girlfriend and later his 14-year-old niece to take the blame. Both of them were hurt in the crash. Both wrote letters to the judge saying that Vinson is a great guy.

Prosecutors initially charged him with 18 felonies after a fatal crash last December. Vinson was speeding and driving without license plates on I-94. He crashed on Golf Road near Maple Avenue in the Town of Delafield. 

Vinson’s two 10-year-old sons were ejected from the car and died at the scene.

The crash also sent Vinson’s girlfriend, daughter and niece to the hospital. The girlfriend told police the group was driving back from the Mall of America – and that there were no car seats or seatbelts for the four kids in the back seat. Opper said a handgun and marijuana were found in the car.

Prosecutors say Vinson never had a valid driver's license – and had 12 prior convictions for operating while suspended over a decade-long period.

After initially entering "not guilty pleas," Vinson said he was guilty of five of the charges – including the homicides.

Prior to the judge handing down his sentence, Vinson issued a statement to the court. 

"I know what I did was it was wrong. It was selfish. And there isn't a day that go past that I don't think about how I shoulda did it different. I lost the only two sons that I have," Vinson said. 

Case details

Officials said it began shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 20. A criminal complaint states a deputy tried to stop a vehicle for speeding and driving without license plates on I-94, but the driver – identified as Vinson – got off the interstate "in an attempt to avoid the deputy" at Prospect Avenue.

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The complaint states the vehicle initially stopped on Prospect Avenue – but sped away down Golf Road as the deputy approached the vehicle. Deputies tried to chase after it, but said the fleeing vehicle was driving as fast as 95 mph. When deputies caught up, they found the vehicle had crashed on Golf Road near Maple Avenue in the town of Delafield. Four people were on the ground.

Investigators said the vehicle lost control, went into a ditch and hit a culvert before coming to a rest on its side. The two boys had been ejected and were pronounced dead at the scene, per the complaint.

After the crash, the sheriff's department said the driver, Vinson, was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. A 29-year-old woman was also taken to a hospital in stable condition, and two girls – ages 14 and 6 – were in critical condition.

The sheriff's department said both boys were the driver's sons. The 29-year-old woman is the driver's girlfriend, and the 6-year-old is their daughter. The 14-year-old is the driver's niece. All six occupants were from Milwaukee.

Investigators spoke to the 29-year-old woman in the hospital, the complaint states. She said she didn't remember much from the crash and was "sleeping most of the drive" – but woke up to Vinson saying "no no no" as the vehicle went into the ditch. She said they were driving back from Mall of America and had left Minnesota around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. 

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The 29-year-old woman also said, per the complaint, that no car seats or seat belts were used for the four children, who were all seated in the back seat.

The complaint states Vinson had a brain bleed and a fractured vertebra due to the crash. The 29-year-old woman had a collapsed lung, among other injuries. The two girls were diagnosed with brain bleeds and brain swelling, among other injuries, as well. One of the girls suffered a "severed left arm."

Investigators said, per the complaint, that Vinson told them they were all driving back from Minnesota. The complaint states Vinson never had a valid driver's license and had 12 prior convictions for operating while suspended between 2013 and 2022.

This is a developing story.