Posted on 06/11/2026 3:39:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was denied parole Thursday, nearly five years after a drunken driving crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog in Las Vegas.
Ruggs, 27, will be eligible for parole again on Aug. 24, 2027, and could appear before the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners next May.
"Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor's family," Ruggs' attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a Thursday statement, adding that they were disappointed by the parole board's decision to deny parole.
During Ruggs' appearance in May, Chesnoff urged the parole board to ignore Ruggs' celebrity.
"Sometimes being high-profile makes it more of a burden," Chesnoff said. "And I would most respectfully ask everybody to treat Henry the way they would anybody that comes before them, except for the fact that I think he's tried to do as much as humanly possible to send a message that his behavior was unacceptable."
A Nevada court sentenced Ruggs in August 2023 to three to 10 years in prison. Ruggs pleaded guilty in May 2023 to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
According to police, Ruggs was driving his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 156 mph with a blood alcohol content twice Nevada's legal limit before slamming into the rear of Tintor's Toyota RAV4. Tintor's vehicle was propelled 571 feet, police said, before catching fire. Tintor and her dog died from thermal injuries, a coroner ruled in December 2021.
Ruggs told the parole board last month that he takes "full responsibility for my actions that led to Ms. Tintor's death and her dog, Max. Not a minute goes by where I don't think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community. I'm a religious person, and I pray for her family daily."
Ruggs also told the board he wants to care for his 6-year-old daughter, Kenzli, and his fiancée, Kiara Je'Nai Kilgo-Washington, who was Ruggs' passenger in the crash. "I'm hoping that you will allow me the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone," he said.
Tintor's mother, Mirjana Komazec, and brother, Djordje, declined interview requests from ESPN before the decision. "It's still hard," Mirjana Komazec said when reached by phone. Tintor's uncle, Pedja Komazec, also declined comment after the decision.
Ruggs told the parole board he met with Tintor's brother to deliver an apology face-to-face.
"He wants to be a good citizen," said Jovan Barnes, Ruggs' agent. "He wants to be someone that's positive."
Ruggs told the board he spent his time in custody trying to educate young people about the dangers of drinking and driving. He spoke to HOPE for Prisoners in Las Vegas and to inmates at the Southern Desert Correctional Center. He also led a cardio class for fellow inmates. Parole board commissioner Sandy Schmitt said during Ruggs' parole hearing that his activities would be considered mitigating factors in the board's decision. Schmitt added that Ruggs was noncompliant with a travel arrangement last October, an aggravating factor in the board's decision.
"The guideline recommendation is to parole you at your first or second hearing, and this being your first," Schmitt said at the May hearing.
Barnes said he asked Ruggs in the days after the crash to work on his mental health and finish his college degree. Ruggs received a bachelor of science degree in commerce and business administration at Alabama last year. The other request received more pushback, but Barnes said that his client eventually did seek help and that he's "in a way better place."
The crash had a profound effect in circles around Las Vegas. Eric Bauman, the former Clark County chief deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, told ESPN that he had worked tens of thousands of DUI cases but that the horrific nature of the Ruggs case was a deciding factor in his retirement earlier this year at the age of 53.
"I'm thankful for the decision of the parole board because that brings us one year closer to justice for the family," Bauman said.
Vincent Sanders, a mentor who met Ruggs when he was in high school, said he and Ruggs discussed a plan for advocacy upon his release.
"We're trying to be the No. 1 advocate [against] DUI, drunk driving," Sanders told ESPN earlier this month. "We want to be the spokesman. We want to be on commercials. We want to do it all. We want people to understand you can't make mistakes like that."
Denzel Devall, director of player development at Alabama, said the Crimson Tide's football program has used Ruggs as an example when talking to current players.
"Any given time you can make the wrong decision, and the life that you live now can be gone," he said of the message. "It's serious business. ... It hits you hard, and it's life-shattering."
The NFL did not respond to messages seeking clarity on Ruggs' status with the league. Barnes did not immediately return a call from ESPN after the decision.
What did 23-year-old Tina Tintor want?
Horrible story i remember all to well....the only redeeming factor in him playing pro football again is the parents of this young woman can sue his ass off (possibly again) and attach his salary...
“”Schmitt added that Ruggs was noncompliant with a travel arrangement last October, an aggravating factor in the board’s decision.””
Where was he supposed to travel when he’s in prison...
Wherever the damned guards tell him.
I remember when taking driver training in my senior year of high school in 1954 was a field trip arranged by the Driver’s Ed teacher to a manslaughter trial in a Tioga County, NY courthouse because of a DUI driver...We were all farm kids with no transportation of our own but it was a good lesson for our future driving/living habits...
Don’t they have to sue within a certain time window?
That’s not a very helpful answer....how many prisoners get to travel???
He should get the death penalty for such a crime.
Guys like him and Karmelo Anthony can go off at anytime without warning like pit bulls.
i have no clue....
...not to mention her dog.
Sorry, he made a choice, and now he has to pay the consequences.
Clever: Yes
AI Overview:
The high-speed, drunken-driving crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her golden retriever, Max, was caused by former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III on November 2, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Ruggs was driving his Chevrolet Corvette at speeds reaching 156 mph seconds before slamming into Tintor’s Toyota RAV4. The impact caused Tintor’s vehicle to burst into flames, trapped her inside, and resulted in her dying from thermal injuries.
Impairment:
Blood tests taken within two hours of the crash revealed Ruggs had a blood alcohol content of 0.16%, which is twice Nevada’s legal limit.
LOOK AT YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY MEASUREMENTS & SEE WHAT 571 FEET IS.
Henry Ruggs was drunk. In any state, or the federal government you have to have intention to kill someone to get the death penalty.
Agreed. Still there’s something in the brain that makes people do stupid things.
Being drunk is one of the few ways you get a felony charge in a traffic collision with prison as the outcome. There are close to 30,000 deaths per year from traffic accidents. (Of course, some of the dead are also the driver at fault, thus, are not prosecutable.)
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