Driver convicted of vehicular homicide in crash that killed three people is sentenced to prison

A woman who was found guilty of driving drunk and causing an accident on I-25 that killed three people was sentenced Wednesday (4/22/15).

Jade Valdez was ordered to serve 12 years in prison.

In January, a jury convicted Valdez of three counts of vehicular homicide – DUI, three counts of vehicular homicide – reckless driving, three counts of careless driving resulting in death and one count of DUI.

The crash happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 13, 2013. The car went off the road about five miles south of Fountain, near Pikes Peak International Raceway.

Four people were riding in the car when it rolled. Valdez, who was 23 at the time, was driving. She suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Victor Hernandez-Briano, 30, Aushlaey Maldonado, 21, and Eladio Esparza-Hernandez, 33, were killed.

Hernandez-Briano and Esparza-Hernandez were Mexican citizens. All four people riding in the car were thrown out of the vehicle when it hit a guardrail and rolled.