Phoenix man sentenced to 16 years after crash that killed 3 teens in Glendale
A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for running a red light in 2021 and causing a car crash that killed three teenagers in Glendale and left behind a two-year trail of grief for all involved.
Carlos Daniel Gonzalez Jr., 24, was sentenced for the manslaughter of Ariyanna Parsad, 18, Kiyvon Martin, 18, and Jazmine Marquez, 19, by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Rueter.
Gonzalez signed off on a plea agreement last month, and Rueter handed him 16 years for each manslaughter count. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Gonzalez's case revived questions about the Valley's chronic problem with red-light running, renewed questions about how to effectively enforce impaired driving in the wake of legalized marijuana, and raised questions about how closely prosecutors consult with victims' families.
The chairs in Rueter's courtroom on Friday were filled on both sides, with just over 30 family and friends showing up for the three victims' families as well as for Gonzalez. Enlarged pictures of the victims were on display.
In August 2021, Gonzalez was driving over twice the speed limit and ran a red light when he struck Parsad's car at 83rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road in Glendale. Marquez was pronounced dead when officers arrived, while Parsad and Martin later died of their injuries. Parsad's new husky puppy, Nina, who was in the car with the teenagers, was found dead in the front seat.
Gonzalez was later found to have THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, in his blood, but it did not play a role in the crash, according to law enforcement.
Over the past five years, the intersection of 83rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road has seen two other fatal crashes, according to an email from Sgt. Randy Stewart, public information officer for the Glendale Police Department. The department has also issued five citations for failure to stop at a red light in the same timeframe.
Throughout Glendale, there have been 172 fatal collisions between 2018 and 2022. In 2023, there have been 13 fatal collisions as of April 28, on pace with last year.
Red-light crash kills 3 teenagers in 2021
Just after midnight on Aug. 25, 2021, Parsad was driving her Toyota car with her boyfriend Martin and her new puppy Nina in the front seat, and Marquez in the back seat. They were heading north on 83rd Avenue after the signal light had been green for at least five seconds, according to surveillance video.
Gonzalez, in his Tesla, was on his way to his sister's house to celebrate his late brother's birthday. He was driving approximately 86 mph westbound on Bethany Home Road. The posted speed limit there is 40 mph. Despite the signal light being red for several seconds for him, Gonzalez braked nearly three seconds before the crash, according to data from the Tesla, but decided to accelerate and drive through the light, causing him to hit Parsad's car.
The collision caused Parsad's car to roll over and hit the signal light pole so hard that the camera which recorded the crash moved and was no longer aimed at the intersection. Marquez was ejected from the car and pronounced dead when officers arrived.
Parsad and Martin were in the car with injuries and were taken to Abrazo West Trauma Center. Gonzalez was also transferred to the center for serious injuries.
Parsad died the same day while being treated at the hospital. Martin was conscious and told police that Parsad was his girlfriend and that he did not know Marquez's name. He died in the hospital on Sept. 2, eight days after the collision.
When officers questioned Gonzalez at the hospital, he told officers he had not been drinking, but said he had a medical marijuana card and had smoked one or two days before. A routine toxicology test from the hospital found that THC was present in Gonzalez's blood.
Officers issued a warrant and months later a blood test from the Department of Public Safety crime lab found that Gonzalez had a THC concentration of 11 nanograms per milliliter of blood, with a margin of error of 2 nanograms at the time of the incident.
Arizona does not have a specific limit of THC used to charge drivers with impairment as it does for alcohol, but Colorado and Washington do: 5 ng/ml there.
It was not until those results were released that Gonzalez was arrested. However, at Friday's sentencing, Judge Reuter said law enforcement reported that Gonzalez was not impaired despite the level of THC in his blood. Gonzalez turned himself in to Glendale police on Dec. 29, 2021.
Glendale police told ABC15 that the arrest delay was due to DPS' crime lab backlog.
For subscribers: Phoenix is testing longer yellow lights to curb red-light running
'It is not enough'
Multiple friends and family appeared in court for Gonzalez's sentencing and shared how they were grieving for Parsad, Marquez, and Martin.
Ariyanna Parsad's sister, Jasmine, said that her sister had so much ahead of her because of the life she was building for herself, after a childhood spent in the foster care system. She said Parsad was working two jobs, had two cars, her own apartment, and was planning to receive her high school diploma in the spring of 2022.
Jasmine said Parsad, Martin, and Marquez were just trying to get home the night of the incident. But, she said, Gonzalez's reckless driving killed all three of them.
"Every single bone in her body was broken, from her head down to her feet. She was an organ donor and the only thing she was able to donate was her hair."
She said that at the hospital, she had to make the tough decision to pull the plug on her sister and end her life. She said that was something she never should have had to do.
Jasmine did not agree with the 14-16 year sentence range outlined in the plea agreement.
"It is not enough," she told the court.
Family and friends of Marquez played a video from her funeral. Sniffles could be heard, but also laughter for some of the funny photos of a young Marquez.
Marquez's mother, Jessica, gave a long, tear-filled testimony.
"Why did I have to lose my child? How can you take her from me? How can you take all my hard work in a split second?"
She said Marquez was always in and out of the hospital her whole life, but Jessica was always there to hold her daughter's hand as a sign of showing her she was OK because her mom was with her. But, Jessica was unable to provide that comfort on the night of the incident.
"I go to the crash site and I just wonder. I just stare wondering where her body landed. Where was she?" she said, choking up. "How I wish I could have helped her. How I wish I could have given her a million kisses saying, 'No you're OK, mama's here, mama's here, you're OK.'"
At Marquez's funeral, Jessica said that despite all the makeup on her daughter's face, it still did not cover all the gashes and did not take away from the pancake shape of her head.
"How can that shape be my daughter's head?"
Jessica said she will never forgive Gonzalez for making her feel like "such a helpless, useless mother" for not being able to help her daughter.
Kiyvon Martin's family is from out of state, according to Parsad's sister, but his cousin was present virtually and made a statement to the court, saying how she, too, did not agree with the plea agreement.
In Gonzalez's presentence report, Martin's mother, Stephanie Groves, wrote that her son's death has affected her relationship with her other sons.
"It caused a separation between my sons and I ... and I hate it hate it hate it," she wrote. "Now I feel like I don't have any sons at all, Kiyvon was the one who held us altogether. All his brothers looked up to him and admired him. I feel like his death caused us to stop communicating."
Top 10: Arizona among top 10 states for drunken driving deaths
'Waking up every day hoping that this is just a nightmare'
Gonzalez's close family and friends also spoke, attesting to Gonzalez's character as a friend, brother, uncle, son, and father. They also spoke to Gonzalez not being in the best mindset the night of the incident because it was the birthday of his late brother who had died by gunshot.
Gloria Chavez, Gonzalez's sister who had promptly shown up to the scene of the incident after he called her and told her what happened, spoke to Gonzalez's concern the night of the incident.
"He's just screaming, 'I'm sorry. Please survive. You guys are going to be OK,'" Chavez said. Chavez said that as humans, we make mistakes and that Gonzalez did not mean for the accident to happen.
Others who spoke mentioned how the effects of this incident have and will affect Gonzalez's baby boy and his daughter who is on the way.
A remorseful Gonzalez also addressed the court.
"I know nothing I say will fill the emptiness I caused but I want to express my deepest remorse with you all. I feel that every day that goes by, how ashamed I am at my irresponsible behavior and how it has affected everyone in the courtroom today."
Gonzalez spoke about his upbringing and how he wanted to be different than the people he grew up with because they all ended up in prison.
"I always learned from their mistakes because I didn't want to take the same route. Now I'm learning from my own mistake that I regret with all of my heart," including leaving his kids without a dad, he said.
"I understand the seriousness of my charges, but I can't help but waking up every day hoping that this is just a nightmare."
No sentence long enough for victims' families
Judge Rueter spoke about the difficult circumstances of the case prior to announcing the sentence he was giving Gonzalez. Gonzalez has no criminal record, took responsibility, and was not impaired — but three teens died.
"It's a difficult situation because you have three people whose lives were taken from them," Rueter said. "On the flip side, the defendant, he's not a monster. He didn't mean to wreak havoc and destruction on your lives and your family's lives."
However, he said, Gonzalez's act was careless and reckless. Rueter said with what Gonzalez's family and friends said about his character, Gonzalez is going to have consequences long beyond his time served.
In the testimonies, members from the victims' families expressed displeasure in the plea agreement and wanted Gonzalez to serve longer than the maximum of 16 years. Parsad's sister told The Arizona Republic that the plea deal was submitted without the consent of the families and was told by prosecutor Tristan Bigler's superior that at the end of the day, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has the final word on plea agreements.
"Seeking justice on behalf of victims is at the core of what our office does. We work closely with victims and their families to ensure they understand the court process and their rights are protected. We take input from families on plea agreements but ultimately, prosecutors must make tough decisions based on the facts of each case. In this specific case, staff met with the victim’s family several times to share what would be offered and we feel the plea agreement in this matter was appropriate," Maricopa County Attorney's Office Chief of Staff Jennifer Liewer said in a prepared statement to The Republic.
Arizona's Constitution guarantees that victims of crimes have the right to consult with prosecutors after defendants have been charged, before trial, and before any disposition of the case.
Rueter said even if the case went to trial, Gonzalez would have received a punishment very similar to what was outlined in the agreement. Bigler also made this statement during the sentencing.
In the end, Rueter said the aggravating factors such as harm to the victims and emotional impact to the families and friends outweighed the defendant's mitigating factors. And with or without the plea agreement, Rueter said no time was going to be enough for the families.
"I think there's no sentence this court can impose that's going to make these families whole again ... I think that any number that was thrown out, it's not going to ease the pain and anger that these families feel."
This reporting follows crimes The Republic began to cover in 2021 and is part of our commitment to telling the story from start to finish.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Carlos Gonzalez Jr. gets 16 years in red-light crash that killed teens
