A Sacramento County jury convicted a repeat DUI offender of second-degree murder in an August 2025 drunken-driving crash that killed a motorist at a Sacramento intersection, prosecutors said.
Sacramento Superior Court jurors found Richard Lee Newman, 34, guilty Friday. Newman faces 15 years to life in state prison when he is sentenced Nov. 20 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Newman had a prior DUI conviction when he ran a red light Aug. 21, 2025, and crashed into a car driven by Nathan Thomas at an intersection. The force of the collision sent Thomas’ car over a curb and into a light pole, leaving him with traumatic brain injuries and multiple facial fractures.
Newman, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI following the crash, had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.21% at the time of the collision.
After his prior conviction, a judge had given Newman a Watson advisement, warning him that driving under the influence endangered human life and could lead to a murder charge if he caused a fatal crash.
Thomas died of his injuries Sept. 11, 2025, at a hospital. Newman was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into Sacramento County custody Aug. 23, 2025, jail records showed. He remains in custody at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove awaiting sentencing.