A former Los Angeles Police Department officer, 34-year-old Edgar Verduzco, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murders of a Los Angeles married couple and their 19-year-old son as a result of a drunk driving crash.
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According to a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office release, Verduzco received a 15-year-to-life sentence on Friday, July 18. The DA’s office announced back on April 11 that Verduzco had pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and one count of driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury.
“Mr. Verduzco knew the risks of driving under the influence, but his decision was fueled by recklessness and careless disregard for others,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in the release. “The law applies equally to all – especially to those who are supposed to enforce it.”
“This is another reminder that driving after consuming alcohol is not a mistake – it is a choice – that can have devastating consequences. And for the Davila family, that one choice has left their loved ones with a profound grief from which they will never recover.”
Edgar Verduzco will serve two concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison. Additionally, he will serve one concurrent term of three years in prison for the DUI charge.
Fatal DUI Crash
The DA’s office detailed that the incident occurred back on September 26, 2017. While driving under the influence, Verduzco, while off-duty, drove at a staggering 150 miles per hour on the 605 Freeway.
As a result of his reckless behavior, Verduzco struck two vehicles. One of them hit a center divider and burst into flames. Inside were 52-year-old Maribel Davila, 60-year-old Mario Davila, and their 19-year-old son, Oscar Davila. All were killed by the violent crash and the subsequent fire.
Inside the second vehicle were a mother and her baby in a car seat. Both, fortunately, only suffered minor injuries.
DA Hochman revealed, following Verduzco’s guilty plea, that Oscar Davila was a UC Riverside student. His and his parents’ lives were “senselessly taken in an instant.”