A 22-year-old Peñitas man pleaded guilty Wednesday for his involvement in a 2019 fatal crash that killed two San Juan residents and sent six people illegally present in the country to the hospital.
Jesus Eduardo Estrada was sentenced to 40 years in prison with nearly 4 years in credit after being convicted on two counts of murder, five counts of smuggling of persons causing serious bodily injury and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity.
Since Estrada pleaded guilty to the eight charges, prosecutors dismissed two charges of evading arrest or detention causing death, one charge of smuggling of persons causing serious bodily injury or death and six counts of evading arrest or detention causing serious bodily injury.
Estrada was charged for murder after he, 29-year-old Humberto Garcia and 38-year-old Alejandra Gonzalez Lopez crashed into 45-year-old Leonel Martinez Jr.’s vehicle, killing him and his passenger, 69-year-old Aurora Chavez, on March 13, 2019.
Garcia pleaded guilty to his charges in late January and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with nearly 4 years in credit.
According to the crash report, Estrada was driving a green 2004 Ford Expedition with “unrestrained occupants” and was traveling eastbound on Highway 83 near La Joya at a high rate of speed while fleeing from authorities.
Estrada drove onto the grass median in order to pass other vehicles and lost control of the Expedition, veering into the westbound lanes and hitting a white 2007 Nissan Sentra head-on.
Martinez was driving the Sentra and Chavez was his passenger.
Lopez, who allegedly rented the vehicle used in the deadly crash, has remained a fugitive since April 2021 when she failed to show up for her arraignment.
