Utah man pleads guilty in crash that killed 2, but plea accounts for only 1 death

A five-car crash in West Valley City on New Year's Eve led to the immediate death of a pedestrian who was pushing his friend across the street in a wheelchair, and the subsequent death of a mother driving one of the cars who was taken off of life support 12 days later.

The driver accused of causing the crash in a stolen car was under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol, according to charging documents.

But Jaden Olin Eckes, 22, of Bluebell, Duchesne County, was charged with automobile homicide for only one of the deaths. And now he has taken a plea deal, admitting to just one of those deaths. But it's unclear which death he is taking responsibility for.

And multiple court documents prepared by West Valley police, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and 3rd District Court inexplicably do not mention the full names of the two victims who police and prosecutors are representing.

Eckes pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, a second-degree felony, plus negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. In exchange, five felonies, five misdemeanors and two infractions were dismissed.

When he was originally charged with automobile homicide, it was for the death of the pedestrian — only identified in any court documents as "B. Molina." Molina died at the scene. But when Eckes signed a statement supporting his guilty plea, it says Eckes was responsible for running a red light and causing a crash resulting in the "death of one driver and seriously injuring a pedestrian." That document prepared by the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association does not mention the names of any victim.

Other court documents only identify the driver as "A. Schneiter" and indicate that she suffered severe injuries and was not expected to survive. But while Eckes was charged with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury involving Schneiter, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office never upgraded those charges to reflect her death, according to court records.

The district attorney's office won't comment on why charges were never filed regarding both deaths nor will it say which death Eckes has taken responsibility for. Nor would the district attorney's office release the full names of the two victims it is representing on behalf of the state. A spokesman said the office won't comment before Eckes is sentenced in the case on June 29 by Judge Barry Lawrence.

KSL.com has subsequently learned that the two victims are Bernardo Molina, 33, and Amber Schneiter. Her age is redacted for some reason from a West Valley police report obtained through a public records request.

Shantel Billings knew both of the victims. She said Schneiter was on her way to help a friend who needed gas when the car she was driving was hit, causing her eventual death.

"They're both just trying to help the world, you know, and they both got their lives taken that night and that's just messed up," she said.

Billings and Schneiter were living in the same home, and she said Schneiter was her best friend. Her friend was kept on life support for 12 days and after seeing no improvement, doctors took her off life support.

"She was a good mother, she was a good person, a really good person," Billings said.

It wasn't until about two months later that Billings learned who the other person was who died at that intersection — her friend Bernie Molina. She said his niece called to let her know about the incident.

"It just broke me, it broke me down," she said about learning Molina had died in the same crash.

Billings said she thinks this case is one that should be followed up, and should be given proper attention. She said the crash not only took two lives, but it also took lives from many family members and friends of the two victims. She believes Eckes should get more than a slap on the hand, arguing that his age or drugs should not be an excuse.

"It's just not OK. … The kid messed up really big, and he shouldn't get away with any of it like that," Billings said.

Officers responded to the fatal hit-and-run crash at 8:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2022, and learned a truck had fled the scene after hitting two pedestrians and four vehicles.

Eckes, who was driving a stolen 1996 Dodge Ram 2500, was involved in a hit-and-run at 3100 S. Redwood Road before he fled south and the crash occurred at 4100 S. Redwood Road, charging documents say.

His car entered the intersection on a red light and hit two pedestrians. Molina was thrown 96 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene; the other pedestrian who was in a wheelchair suffered minor injuries.

Once he was in the intersection, Eckes hit four different cars, according to charging documents. Eckes' vehicle pushed a Jeep, driven by Schneiter, into the passenger side of a Kia, causing the Jeep and the truck driven by Eckes to rotate in opposite directions, and then hit a Dodge Challenger, which was then pushed into an Acura MDX.

Schneiter suffered severe brain trauma, a broken spine and broken ribs, according to charging documents.

As Eckes was leaving the scene of that crash, an officer who was on a call nearby saw him running south from the crash site and ordered him to stop.

The officer reported that Eckes continued, saying, "How bad did I hurt them?" and "Please tell me I didn't kill them." While he was submitting to a voluntary blood test, officers said Eckes said twice, "I should have just stopped."

Charging documents said Eckes admitted to smoking methamphetamine that evening at about 7 p.m.

The 12 charges that were dismissed as part of Eckes' plea bargain include theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony; negligently operating a vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury, failure to remain at the scene of an accident causing death, two counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident causing serious injury, third-degree felonies; negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, failure to remain at an accident involving injury, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance, class A misdemeanors; accident involving property damage, a class B misdemeanor; and failure to obey traffic control devices and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, infractions.

Eckes also pleaded guilty to theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony, in a separate case, admitting he was in possession of a stolen vehicle on Sept. 29, 2022.

As part of the same plea deal, Eckes admitted to theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony, in a separate case. Charges in two other cases were dismissed as well.