Man found guilty in DUI crash that killed mother, 4 children
(Image provided by police)
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The man accused of hitting and killing a mother and four children while driving drunk has been found guilty.
Favian Garcia (Booking photo)
The Statesman Journal reports Favian Garcia of Gervais was scheduled to stand trial, but in a last-minute change elected Monday to sign a motion agreeing to a series of facts summarized by prosecutors.
Judge Sean Armstrong reviewed the facts and then found Garcia guilty of five counts of first-degree manslaughter, DUI, reckless driving and criminal driving with a suspended license in the crash north of Salem in October 2017.
Lizette Merano-Perez, 25, of Molalla, was heading into a corner on the highway when she crashed nearly head-on with Garcia, who was behind the wheel of an SUV.
The crash killed Lizette and four children, identified by police as 8-year-old Ricardo Medrano-Contreras, 6-year-old Andrus Medrano-Contreras, 4-year-old Dayanara Medrano-Perez, and 2-year-old Angelina Vazquez-Crisp.
Court records show that Garcia had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit.
He will be sentenced Dec. 2.