California man gets 188 years in prison in DUI crash that left five dead
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred
- Cameron Garcia was sentenced to 188 years to life in prison on Sept. 4
- A Sacramento jury convicted Garcia of five counts of manslaughter and fleeing from police in July.
- On Feb. 9 2023, Garcia drank all day by the Sacramento river before getting in his sport utility vehicle and crashing into a tree at 101 mph, killing five passengers, according to prosecutors.
A man who drank all day and drove his sport utility vehicle into a tree at 101 mph, killing all five of his passengers, was sentenced to 188 years to life in prison, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
The sentencing of 32-year-old Cameron Garcia comes more than a month after a Sacramento jury convicted him on five counts of manslaughter.
The jury also found true an enhancement for fleeing after committing a gross vehicular manslaughter and personally using a deadly weapon in the commission of the offense.
Garcia had previously pleaded guilty to evading police.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge James Arguelles sentenced Garcia on Friday.
The case began Feb. 9, 2023, when Garcia spent the day drinking alongside the Sacramento river before he and the five passengers got into his Cadillac SUV, according to the district attorney’s office.
Authorities said Garcia was speeding down River Road, a two-lane highway that bends with the river, when the road turned.
Prosecutors said Garcia made no attempt to brake and instead pressed on the accelerator as the vehicle veered off the road, crashing into a tree.
Prosecutors said the vehicle flipped 180 degrees, tearing the entire right side and most of the roof off. All five passengers were ejected.
Neighbors told local news outlets that the victims ended up in their driveways, bushes and on the roads.
Driver sentenced to state prison for 124-mph Ventura County crash that killed two passengers on U.S. 101 in Newbury Park.
The young victims were identified by the authorities as Curvontay Swygert, 16; Aahliya Garcia, 17; Faith Samuel, 18; Izabelle Salaz-Stephens, 19; and Monte Nunn, 29.
Dorothy Garcia, the driver’s mother, told KCRA 3 that Aahliya was her son’s niece.
Prosecutors said despite suffering multiple injuries during the crash, Garcia attempted to flee in several nearby cars before he got into a woman’s vehicle, pushing her out of the driver’s seat and driving off.
Authorities said Garcia drove into the city of Elk Grove and led police on a chase before crashing into another vehicle. They said he attempted to steal another vehicle but fled on foot when he failed. Garcia was taken into custody thereafter.
Prosecutors said Garcia was taken to a hospital. Blood tests showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.11%. He also had marijuana in his system.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
On screen, Errol Flynn played a series of daredevils, fortune hunters, and suave romantics. Off screen, he lived a life of outsize debauchery and recklessness, including a persistent interest in underage girls. In 1943, at the height of his fame, he faced trial in Los Angeles on charges of statutory rape.
In our first episode, the L.A. Times columnist George Skelton sizes up the governors he’s known, what made them successful and whether the next one can measure up.
How do you get more people to care about climate change — and tell riveting stories along the way? Boiling Point explored that question at a live event during this year’s New York City Climate Week at Columbia University’s Climate School.
