A Sacramento County man was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison for driving drunk three years ago in a Nevada County crash that killed four members of a North Highlands family on their way to a Thanksgiving vacation.
Michael Scott Kelley, 35, of Antelope, was sentenced last week in Nevada Superior Court after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree murder for the Nov. 20, 2021, crash that killed a mother, a father and their two children, the Nevada County District Attorneyâs Office announced Tuesday in a news release.
Antonio and Brittney Montano, both 29, died in the 2021 crash, along with their 9-year-old daughter Marianna and their 5-year-old son Antonio, authorities and their family have said. The Montanosâ youngest child, a toddler, suffered serious injuries. He was the only survivor of the crash.
Kelley was driving a Jeep heading the wrong way on Interstate 80 that struck the Montanosâ Honda Civic, according to the California Highway Patrol. The early morning crash occurred in the eastbound lanes of I-80 near Eagle Lakes Road in Nevada County.
The Montanos were on their way to a Thanksgiving vacation at the Grand Canyon early that morning when their car was struck head-on by the Jeep near Yuba Gap, their family has said in a Gofundme online fundraiser.
Prosecutors said Kelley entered the freeway in his vehicle just outside of Truckee, heading the wrong way on I-80, and stuck the Montanosâ car head on.
The CHP investigation determined Kelley was the cause of the collision. The investigation found he was drunk behind the wheel that morning, driving with a blood alcohol content level of more than twice the California legal limit of 0.08%, prosecutors said.
The District Attorneyâs Office on Nov. 22, 2021 filed a criminal complaint against Kelley, charging him with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Prosecutors on Monday filed an amended complaint, charging Kelley with four counts of second-degree murder and one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to Nevada Superior Court records.
Prosecutors said they charged Kelley with second-degree murder because he was previously convicted of driving under the influence in 2019 and was warned by the court of the life-threatening consequences of driving impaired. The courtâs admonishment in California warns convicted DUI offenders they could be charged with murder if they face DUI charges in a crash that results in death.
In the news release, Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson called the 2021 fatal crash âone of the most heartbreaking casesâ in his career. He also âthis senseless crime has left an indescribable void for those affected, a devastating reminder of the dangers of impaired driving.â
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