EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A Chaparral, New Mexico, man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a New Year’s Day crash in northeast El Paso that killed an 18-year-old woman and injured her boyfriend.
Abel Garcia, 48, pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, a second-degree felony.
The crash happened shortly after 2 a.m. Jan. 1 at Gateway North Boulevard and Sean Haggerty Drive.
Investigators said Garcia ran a red light in a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado and struck a Chevrolet Camaro driven by Nicholas Ramirez, now 20.
Angelique Diaz De Leon, who was riding in the Camaro, died at the scene. Ramirez was injured.
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A blood test conducted after investigators obtained a search warrant found Garcia’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.139, above Texas’ legal limit of 0.08, the District Attorney’s Office said.
“While no sentence can undo the loss her family and Nicholas carry every day, we were determined to hold Mr. Garcia accountable without making them wait years for a resolution,” District Attorney James Montoya said.
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