Jury Convicts Man of Murder for Running Over Victim 3 Times

Dallas Keith Carter, the driver who killed a young man by running his car over him three times, collapsed into tears Thursday after a Superior Court jury returned a first-degree murder verdict against him.

Carter, 19, was so distraught that he had to be helped from the courtroom by deputy marshals after jurors left the courtroom in Santa Ana. Carter’s mother crumpled to the floor in the hallway outside the courtroom and had to be helped up.

Carter now faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life for the death of 26-year-old Javier G. Sarabia of Garden Grove on May 15, 1988. Sarabia had been riding home from a family barbecue with his brother, Alex, on a motorcycle when Carter and two friends chased them down in a car and confronted them, brandishing a gun.

‘Crescendo’ of Violence

The three men, who had been drinking heavily, had similarly harassed two other men earlier that night in separate incidents. Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeoffrey L. Robinson argued that Carter, who had the gun, was building up to a “crescendo” of violence and was going to hurt anyone who got in his way. Sarabia, unlike the earlier victims, had confronted the three men chasing him, which led to a scuffle with Carter.

Witnesses said Carter ran over Sarabia with his car, then made U-turns to run over him twice more.

Witnesses said they could hear shouts from the car of “hit him again!” as Carter revved up the motor and aimed his car at the man lying on the pavement.

“It was that third time that did it,” one juror said later. “If he hadn’t turned the car back to go after (the victim) again, we would probably have returned a verdict of manslaughter.”

The jurors deliberated less than one full day. One woman juror, visibly shaken at Carter’s reaction, began to cry.

A Difficult Job

Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan thanked the jurors for their service, and told them he knew what a difficult job theirs was.

“You’re not going to sleep well tonight,” the judge told them. “We understand that. But we thank you for what you’ve done.”

After the jurors and Carter had left the courtroom, Sarabia’s parents, Hector and Aurora Sarabia, stood up to thank the judge and his staff.

“At least others who might ride motorcycles, if it’s on business or just to ride, might be a little more safe, thanks to the justice done here,” Hector Sarabia told the court in tears.

He took exception to the defense’s contention that his son had contributed to the confrontation with Carter.

“He was just a skinny little kid,” the victim’s father said of his son. “He served his country (in the military). He was a good boy.”

Helped Kill Case

Carter, who testified on his own behalf, said that he was disoriented that night from drinking and wasn’t sure what had happened. But he said that when he learned that he had run over Sarabia, his recollection was only that he might have run over a speed bump.

“We thought he was a liar,” a second juror said afterwards. “It was his own testimony that helped kill his case.”

The two men in the car with Carter, Ernest J. Busto, now 21, of Garden Grove, and Sergio Sanchez, now 19, of Santa Ana, both pleaded guilty to lesser charges of assault with a deadly weapon and are awaiting sentencing. Each could face up to four years in prison.

Judge Ryan set Carter’s sentencing for Aug. 18.