Calif. man sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison for deadly DUI crash

A California man has been sentenced to 188 years in prison for killing five passengers when he drunkenly drove off River Road south of the Freeport Bridge in Sacramento County and struck a tree at 101 mph. 

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Cameron Garcia, 32, was sentenced Friday, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday. 

The sentence came more than a month after a jury convicted Garcia of five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and carjacking for a Feb. 9, 2023, crash.

The crash killed passengers Monte Nunn, 29; Faith Samuel, 18; Izabelle Salaz-Stephens, 19; Curvontay Swygert, 16; and Aahliya Garcia, 17. Jurors also found that Garcia fled after committing gross vehicular manslaughter and personally used a deadly weapon during an offense.

A Change.org petition launched by Cameron Garcia’s sister Amanda Garcia in July alleged that Faith Samuel was driving and Cameron was asleep at the time of the crash. In the petition, Amanda Garcia wrote her brother “did not commit” the crime.

However, according to previous KCRA-TV reporting, prosecutors alleged Garcia had spent the day drinking near the Sacramento River before driving a 2007 Cadillac Escalade south on River Road with the five passengers. 

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When the road curved, he accelerated down an embankment without braking, investigators determined. The impact spun the Escalade 180 degrees, tore away its right side and most of its roof, and ejected all five passengers. They were pronounced dead at the scene. 

Garcia survived with multiple injuries. A blood test about 90 minutes after the crash showed a 0.11% blood alcohol concentration, above California’s legal limit, and active marijuana was also detected.

As people arrived at the crash site, prosecutors said, Garcia made attempts to flee. He successfully carjacked one woman by climbing into her car and pushing her from the driver’s seat. 

As law enforcement helicopters and police pursued Garcia all the way to Elk Grove, he crashed the stolen vehicle into another car and then unsuccessfully tried to steal another one before fleeing on foot into a nearby neighborhood, where he was ultimately arrested.