Driver in deadly DUI crash that killed cousin to spend more than 60 years in prison
Sentencing Friday for woman in deadly 2021 crash
Jennifer Carvajal is expected to be sentenced on Friday for a crash that killed her cousin and injured multiple passengers. FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - The woman who caused a 2021 DUI crash that killed her cousin was sentenced to more than 60 years in prison on Friday.
Jennifer Carvajal spoke to the judge and to a packed courtroom, which included her family and the victims' loved ones, many of whom are her relatives, before the sentencing.
She apologized for her actions and said she was remorseful.
However, prosecutors said she has received multiple chances and has shown she is a clear danger to the community since she was the driver in not one, but two deadly DUI crashes.
Case against Jennifer Carvajal
The backstory:
Troopers said Jennifer Carvajal was going 110 mph on I-4 in April 2021. She lost control of the car, veered off the road, went airborne and hit a fence, then landed in the Gator Ford dealership lot. There, law enforcement said, she hit a parked truck, a concrete pole and a tree.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
Carvajal’s 22-year-old cousin died. Her cousin’s girlfriend broke both legs, and another passenger was severely injured.
Dig deeper:
It’s not Carvajal's first time in this position. At the time of the 2021 crash, she was on probation for another deadly DUI crash in 2014 when she was 16 years old. A judge sentenced her to five years in prison for driving drunk, running a red light and crashing into a 52-year-old Plant City man, killing him in that incident.
Friday’s sentencing for the 2021 crash comes after Carvajal pleaded guilty in February to the charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, avoiding a trial.
Pictured: Jennifer Carvajal during a previous court hearing.
Prosecutors previously offered her 50 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to all charges against her, but Carvajal wanted 25 years. The state rejected that.
Carvajal faced anywhere from 31 years to life in prison.
The Source: This story was written with information from Hillsborough County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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