An Oxnard man received more than three years in state prison for the death of two people in a 2023 high-speed crash during his Ventura County Superior Court sentencing on June 15.
Sharbel Touma, 23, previously pleaded guilty to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter on March 16, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The charges stemmed from an Oxnard crash on Feb. 12, 2023, when Touma was driving a Hyundai Sonata over 100 mph and crashed into a Honda Civic, killing its two occupants, authorities said.
The Civic was occupied by Samuel Castro, 31, of Lancaster, and his passenger, Annette Gomez, 44, of Adelanto, authorities previously said.
At around 12:06 a.m. Castro was driving westbound on west Fifth Street when he attempted a U-turn from the No. 2 lane to the No. 1 lane, DA’s officials said.
The Civic was broadsided during the turn by Touma’s car, which was also driving westbound in the No. 1 lane, officials said.
Touma’s vehicle’s event data recorder information had shown that he had been driving 108.73 mph one second before the crash, the DA’s office said. The crash was also caught on surveillance video.
DA’s prosecutors had recommended that Touma serve over five years in prison, but the judge ultimately sentenced him to three years and four months in prison, officials said. He will also be prohibited from driving during his parole.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard man sentenced to more than 3 years for 2023 double fatal crash
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
