Pueblo man pleads guilty to vehicular homicide in Oklahoma following August fatal wreck

A Pueblo man charged with vehicular homicide in Oklahoma following a high-speed chase with state troopers that led to a fatal wreck pleaded guilty to homicide charges this week.

Alex Carpenter, 30, pleaded guilty in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, to first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Mercedes Martinez, 26, and his friend, Ethan Mestas, 22, stemming from the chase in Norman, Oklahoma, on Aug. 15, 2022.

Under Oklahoma law, a person is charged with murder if they cause the death of another in the process of committing a felony.

Carpenter was sentenced to life "with all but 20 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections," on both murder counts, meaning he will serve 20 years total on both convictions with the rest of his sentence suspended.

All sentences are to be served concurrently, according to court documents obtained by the Chieftain.

Along with two counts of murder, Carpenter pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, eluding a police officer, throwing an object from a moving vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Carpenter has been in jail since the crash occurred in August and was given credit for the time he has already served. He will be required to serve two years of probation upon completion of his prison sentence.

Past reporting on this case: Second person dies after Oklahoma high-speed chase involving 3 Puebloans

Kayla Mestas, sister of Ethan Mestas, told the Chieftain Thursday she was "numb" at the plea.

"I hate the system so much, that man (Carpenter) doesn't deserve freedom, ever," she said. "I'm heartbroken for the rest of my life now. All I keep doing is crying because I'll never get to make any more memories with him or see him again."

The wreck took place when Carpenter was driving from Pueblo to a funeral in Oklahoma with Martinez and Mestas in a Ford Ranger. Martinez's mother, Angela Cortez, told the Chieftain in September that the funeral was for Martinez's stepfather, who died from a post-surgery infection.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Nick Mills initiated a traffic stop due to an alleged equipment violation, according to court records.

The state patrol said Carpenter refused to stop and Mills gave chase on Interstate 35 from south Oklahoma City to Norman.

During the chase, the state patrol said Mills was informed the Ford Ranger was reported stolen out of Custer County, Colorado.

The chase ended when the trooper performed a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. Mestas and Martinez were both ejected from the vehicle; Mestas died at the scene, and Martinez later died at an Oklahoma City-area hospital.

In a sworn statement filed with the Cleveland County Court in October, Carpenter initially claimed Mestas was the one driving and that he and Martinez "begged" Mestas to pull over.

"My wife and I were passengers, Ethan was driving, all three of us were in the front seat," Carpenter wrote. "Ethan refused to stop for the officer and I do not understand why, but we begged him to pull the vehicle over and stop."

"We screamed and begged for Ethan to stop but he just would not stop for police. All of a sudden, the vehicle started flipping," he wrote.

Family members of Mestas told Chieftain news partner KRDO News Channel 13 in September they believed Carpenter was lying, as Carpenter had picked up Mestas from his home in the Ford Ranger before departing to Oklahoma.

The family told KRDO they believed Carpenter was attempting to avoid multiple murder charges by shifting the blame to Mestas, who was incapable of defending himself.

Carpenter's plea of guilty to the two murder counts contradicted his earlier claim of innocence.

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Cortez, Martinez's mother, told the Chieftain in September her daughter was the type of person who would "light up a room."

"She was funny. People adored her," Cortez said. "They would do anything for her if she asked. She loved her kids. She loved to bake. She was my only daughter. My best friend. Life won’t be that bright without her anymore."

Kayla Mestas said her brother was the type of person who would give others the shirt off his back.

"My brother was a good kid. He had a really big heart. He would give the clothes he had on him to anybody struggling even though he didn't have much," she told the Chieftain.

"My brother was loved by so many people ... He was a young kid that had his life ahead of him."

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man sentenced to 20 years in Oklahoma vehicular homicides