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A Las Vegas decide on Wednesday sentenced a person to at the least 16 years in jail for a deadly DUI crash final yr that killed two bicyclists close to UNLV.
Marco Benitez, 27, pleaded responsible in February to DUI leading to dying, failing to cease on the scene of a crash involving dying, and reckless driving leading to dying or substantial bodily hurt, courtroom data present. Based on his arrest report, Benitez had cocaine and marijuana in his system following the crash, during which he struck two bicyclists then tried to drive away, inflicting a 10-car pileup at Flamingo and South Maryland Parkway.
Bicyclists Antonio Zabala, 36, and his long-term girlfriend, Karina Del Carmen Lopez, 37, had been struck in the course of the crash. Lopez died on the scene, and Zabala was hospitalized and died days later, the Clark County coroner’s workplace mentioned.
Zabala had moved to Las Vegas from his hometown of Kansas Metropolis about 4 months earlier than the crash. He was working as an govt sous chef at The Westin Las Vegas, and had been relationship Lopez for 10 years, his household has mentioned.
Senior Choose Carolyn Ellsworth sentenced Benitez to between 16 and 40 years in jail. She mentioned the case was a “horrible lack of life” for the victims’ households.
“You’ll be able to see the ripple results,” she informed Benitez. “And that’s solely speaking concerning the ripple results on their aspect of this equation. That does’t account for all of the harm you’ve carried out to your individual household.”
Chief Deputy District Lawyer Chad Lexis performed a witness’ dashcam footage, which confirmed Benitez’s automotive dashing and swerving down the street earlier than putting the bicyclists and inflicting the bigger crash. Lexis mentioned the circumstances of the case had been as “egregious as they get.”
“These kind of crimes occur approach too typically on this city, and I’m glad to see that an acceptable punishment was given,” Lexis mentioned following the listening to.
Benitez informed the decide on Wednesday that he had no reminiscence of the crash.
“I’m terribly sorry for what occurred,” he mentioned. “I didn’t even know what occurred till I awoke within the hospital.”
His lawyer, Robert Draskovich, mentioned Benitez had no prior legal historical past and that he wished to plead responsible within the case after he noticed the dashcam footage of the crash.
“It’s a tragedy all the way in which round,” Draskovich mentioned after the listening to.
Zabala’s mom, Geralyn Torres, spoke to the decide on Wednesday whereas standing subsequent to a poster-sized picture of her son and Lopez. She mentioned that she seen Lopez as a daughter-in-law and that the couple would journey together with her household each vacation.
Torres mentioned her son had a “bigger than life” character and was enthusiastic about constructing a life for himself in Las Vegas. Zabala helped increase his two youthful sisters, his mom mentioned, and he’s additionally survived by his 14-year-old son.
A number of relations who spoke on Wednesday requested the decide to condemn Benitez to the utmost time he may spend in jail.
“I feel now could be after we begin our therapeutic,” Torres mentioned after the listening to. “It’s going to be without end with us. It’s an enormous gap; it’s by no means going to get crammed. However we’re going to do our greatest to maneuver ahead and begin therapeutic.”
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Comply with @k_newberg on Twitter.
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