Man Sentenced In Drunk Driving Death Of 8-Year-Old Girl
GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - A Grand Rapids man will spend up to 15 years in prison for the drunken driving death of an 8-year-old Detroit girl.
Kent County Circuit Judge Mark Trusock sentenced 22-year-old Byron Juarez Thursday, calling the events that led to Dayma Roblero's death "every parent's worst nightmare."
Juarez' minimum sentence is 4 years and 9 months. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death.
Police say Juarez was behind the wheel around 2 p.m. Dec. 23 when he ran a red light and crashed into a car that was carrying six people who had just left a family gathering for Christmas. Roblero was killed and five others were taken to the hospital for treatment, including a 4-year-old and a 10-year-old who were seriously injured.
Police say after the crash, Juarez and his passenger, 25-year-old Marco Coronado-Augustin, got out of the vehicle and ran -- but witnesses helped officers catch the men, who were taken into custody.
According to police, Juarez's blood-alcohol level was .16, twice the legal limit to drive a vehicle in Michigan.
Trusock called the incident "a classic example of someone who's probably a fairly decent individual, of someone who decided to get drunk, drive a car and kill someone."
Juarez, speaking through a Spanish-English interpreter, said he knows "it's a great deal of pain losing a daughter ... those weren't my intentions. It was a very big mistake."
TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.