WOODLAND — Facing a potential murder conviction for a freeway crash that killed a 5-year-old boy last year, a Sacramento man admitted to lesser charges that will result in a 19-year prison term, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
Shane Michael Carlyle pleaded no contest on Feb. 24 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury, and vandalism, prosecutors said. The manslaughter and DUI counts also carry enhancements for multiple victims and causing great bodily injury.
Judge David Reed is scheduled to sentence the 35-year-old Carlyle to an agreed-upon term of 19 years, eight months in state prison on April 7.
Prosecutors in July had filed a murder charge against Carlyle in the case, which stemmed from a June 18, 2019, collision on Interstate 5 east of Woodland.
According to testimony offered during Carlyle’s preliminary hearing, witnesses reported that Carlyle had been speeding on the freeway that night, recklessly weaving in and out of traffic as he headed northbound toward Woodland.
Near the County Road 22 exit, Carlyle’s BMW struck the rear of a Nissan pickup, sending a Woodland family returning home from a day on the American River rolling down an embankment. Five-year-old Luis Figueroa Jr., one of four young children in the truck, later died from his injuries.
California Highway Patrol officers said they suspected Carlyle of being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash. A blood sample taken from him an hour later showed “a higher amount than normal” of the stimulant drug, CHP Officer Lamberto Montano testified.
In addition to charges related to the crash, Carlyle faced additional counts of methamphetamine possession and driving with a suspended license and expired registration, which resulted from prior contacts with law enforcement that occurred in the days leading up to the collision.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
