Challenger driver fleeing police at 140 mph before killing 3 in red-light crash gets 'slap on the hand' at sentencing
Story by Jamie Frevele • 13h
An Indiana man who was fleeing police with two relatives in the car and caused a crash that killed a total of three people was handed a lenient sentence after pleading guilty.
Luis Leyba-Gonzalez, 21, was originally charged with 12 felonies in connection with a fatal car crash that took the lives of his younger brother, 14-year-old Christian Leyba-Gonzalez, his cousin, 32-year-old Jose Gonzalez Jr., and 21-year-old Makayla Hankins, who was in another car. On Oct. 3, Luis Leyba-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to nine of the 12 counts, including three counts of resisting law enforcement resulting in death, three counts of reckless homicide, and three counts of causing death while operating a motor vehicle with a controlled substance in the blood.
Judge Jennifer Prinz Harrison tossed six of the counts, according to the Indianapolis Star, and sentenced Luis Leyba-Gonzalez for just the three counts of resisting law enforcement resulting in death.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
According to reporting by local NBC affiliate WTHR, Luis Leyba-Gonzalez was behind the wheel of his Dodge Challenger on the night of Sept. 26, 2023, with his cousin and teenage brother as his passengers. Before 10 p.m., state police tried to pull Luis Leyba-Gonzalez over, but he fled police instead, reaching speeds up to 140 mph.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/challenger-driver-fleeing-police-at-140-mph-before-killing-3-in-red-light-crash-gets-slap-on-the-hand-at-sentencing/ar-AA1Ot3yI?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=68ef7768f8e5486683dba749a42f6721&ei=78