Man accused in double vehicular homicide held in jail
LAS CRUCES - A judge ordered the man accused of killing two people and injuring two others in a crash last week to remain in jail Wednesday.
Nicholas Gurrola, 31, stands charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle as well as six other traffic-related charges. Police believe Gurrola slammed head-on into an SUV while driving along Spruce Avenue on Dec. 22. Police believe Gurrola killed Enedina Jo Lara and Remy Sigala while driving drunk.
According to an affidavit filed by Las Cruces Police Department Traffic Investigator Luis Lopez, police responded to the Spruce Avenue and Virginia Street intersection around 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 22. At the scene, witnesses told police they’d witnessed a 2016 white Dodge Caravan slam head-on into a 2009 green Ford Escape.
The Dodge Caravan traveled east on Spruce Avenue when witnesses said it veered into the westbound lanes and slammed head-on into the Ford Escape. The witnesses told police that Gurrola had stumbled out of the Caravan and tried to escape. Instead, the witnesses apprehended Gurrola until the police arrived.
Police said in the affidavit that Gurrola had a high blood alcohol content after taking a breathalyzer test. Additionally, witnesses told police Gurrola slurred his words and smelled of alcohol.
In the affidavit, police said the Ford Escape carried four passengers. Two passengers, Lara and Sigala, were pronounced dead at the scene. The other two were transported to an El Paso hospital. Their current conditions are unknown as of the publication of this article.
Police believe that Lara drove the Ford Escape and Sigala sat on the passenger side.
After his arrest, Gurrola told police he’d purchased and drank a Fireball Shooter at a gas station on Motel Boulevard and Picacho Avenue. He also admitted to smoking a blunt, or a cigar filled with cannabis, a few hours before the crash.
Gurrola said he’d left the gas station and was headed to a pizza parlor on U.S. Highway 70 before the crash. He told police he was traveling between 25 and 30 mph before the crash and said the Ford Escape crashed into him.
After his arrest last week, Gurrola appeared before 3rd Judicial District Judge Douglas Driggers on Dec. 28. At that hearing, Driggers ruled that Gurrola’s alleged actions suggested he was dangerous and that no bond could protect the public.
Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached by email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com or on Twitter at @Just516garc.
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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Man accused in double vehicular homicide held in jail
