On May 5 man pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter in connection to a fatal crash in Norfolk this past August.
In the incident, a red Ford Explorer driven by 21-year-old Fredy Alvarado Gonzales rolled several times after he lost control of it, causing his brother, 22-year-old Selim A. Alvarado-Gonzales to be ejected from the vehicle. The SUV eventually came to a stop after crashing against a house on Hemlock Avenue.
Witnesses say that upon the police’s arrival, Alvarado-Gonzales was crying and yelling, “I killed my baby. Please help my baby,” referring to his brother, whom the Explorer had landed on top of and crushed.
Police say Alvarado-Gonzales initially denied being the driver at the time of the August 2 crash, but admitted to having been behind the wheel the following morning. He told police he had lied because his brother died and he was scared. He admitted to having consumed two beers about two hours before the crash and three beers at a cookout earlier in the day. According to a witness, the brothers also purchased beer from a convenience store about 10 minutes prior to the crash.
According to hospital records, Alvarado-Gonzales had a blood-alcohol content of approximately 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Alvarado-Gonzales received a sentence of six months in jail with an additional four years and six months suspended as part of his plea agreement. He served that time while awaiting trial, but according to Commonwealth’s Attorney’s spokeswoman Amanda Howie, he will remain incarcerated pending federal action on immigration issues.
