A 22-year-old Pemberton Township man was sentenced Friday to four years in prison for killing one of his best friends in a drunken car crash two years ago.

Donald Shinn lost control of his Toyota Tundra on Route 563 in Woodland about 3 a.m. Dec. 22, 2018, after he tried to illegally pass another vehicle.

His car went off the road and struck several trees, killing 20-year-old Cody Watson, who was the front-seat passenger. Another passenger in the backseat was not seriously injured.

Shinn's blood-alcohol content was 0.12%. The legal limit is 0.08%

Shinn pleaded guilty in December to second-degree vehicular homicide. After he is released from prison, his driver's license will be suspended for five years.

Cody Watson was killed in a DWI crash in December 2018. (Lee Funeral Home)
Cody Watson was killed in a DWI crash in December 2018. (Lee Funeral Home)
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Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Dennis told the court that the "loss to the Watson family is unimaginable."

“So very tragic, and permanent," he said. "One simple decision was made by the defendant, and that changed everything for the Watson family, and for everyone who knew and loved Cody, including the defendant himself, who was his very close friend.”

Watson, who worked as a laborer for the Manchester Department of Public Works, was a hunter and enjoyed racing motorcycles.

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