WOODLAND — A Sacramento man received prison time Tuesday for his role in a freeway collision that killed a 5-year-old Woodland boy, the sentencing hearing bringing the child’s family and the defendant to tears.
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can say to make it better. I never meant to hurt anyone that night,” Shane Michael Carlyle cried as Yolo Superior Court Judge David Reed sentenced him to 19 years and eight months in state prison.
The term was the result of a plea deal reached back in February as Carlyle, 35, faced a trial on numerous charges including murder. Instead, he pleaded no contest to felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence causing injury, which carry enhancements for multiple victims and inflicting great bodily injury.
Carlyle’s initial April 7 sentencing date was delayed nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic that scaled back court proceedings for weeks.
Luis Figueroa Jr. died and several of his family members suffered major injuries as a result of the June 18, 2019, crash on northbound Interstate 5 east of Woodland, where the Figueroa family was returning home from a day of fishing and playing on the American River.
According to testimony offered during Carlyle’s preliminary hearing, witnesses reported Carlyle was 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 the Figueroas’ Nissan pickup, sending it down a 20-foot embankment.
Carlyle was arrested, later testing positive for high levels of methamphetamine in his system, a California Highway Patrol officer testified. He also was driving with a suspended license and expired registration.
Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, conducted via Zoom video, included victim-impact statements from Luis’ family and several of his teachers at Gibson Elementary School, which the boy attended with his three siblings including a twin sister.
His older sister, Genesis, wept as she told the court “how much I miss my brother. I miss when he tells me he loves me. I miss his hugs because they were so warm. I just want him back.”
Maria Ochoa, Luis’ mother, described her son a cheerful and kind boy “who was easy to love.”
“How I wish this was just a bad dream. As a parent, you never imagine you would have to bury a child,” Ochoa said. “He had barely started his life, and Shane took away my dream of seeing my son grow up.”
“He took a lot from us,” added Luis Figueroa Sr., the boy’s father. “I just want him to pay for what he has done to my family.”
In a news release, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig noted that Carlyle’s case was prosecuted by a specialized attorney unit, funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, that seeks to curb impaired driving through prosecution, education and community outreach efforts.
“The Figueroa family has lost a piece of their hearts. Mr. Carlyle’s reckless and selfish actions that evening cost the life of a child, the memories for a family, and hearts of the Woodland community,” Reisig said. “Driving under the influence of drugs is not a victimless crime and we can only hope that this sentence serves as a deterrent and saves someone else’s life in the future; in the meantime, we must remember and mourn Luis.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.nett or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene