Devonna Crouch, 16, killed and Cody Rupert, 18, Joe Pena, 21, and Monica Serrano, 18, injured in car accident with driver Robert Joseph Lopez Jr., 19, on Interstate 10 in Phoenix, AZ

Modified Date: 
Tue, 02/09/2016 - 4:53pm
Accident Date: 
Friday, December 12, 2014

Man gets prison term in fatal 2014 Phoenix freeway crash

PHOENIX (AP) - A Glendale man who was impaired by marijuana use and driving without a license at the time of a fatal 2014 Phoenix freeway crash has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Police investigators say Crouch died at the scene after her head struck a bolt on the light pole. They say Lopez's vehicle ran into the median and struck a light pole. Authorities say 16-year-old Devonna Crouch was riding in Lopez's car and died in the Dec. 12, 2014 high-speed crash on Interstate 10 near the interchange with U.S. 60. Maricopa County prosecutors say 20-year-old Robert Joseph Lopez was sentenced Tuesday.

Driver, 19, booked on murder charge in fatal I-10 crash

A witness told investigators he was traveling about 80 mph on the freeway with a posted speed of 65 mph when he was passed by the sedan "like I was standing still," according to the statement.

Witness: Driver in fatal Tempe I-10 crash going 105 mph

DPS offiicers arrested the 19-year-old driver involved in Friday morning's fatal wreck on Interstate 10 after he told police he had "smoked a blunt" before the collision, according to court records.
The 19-year-old driver in a high-speed crash that killed a 16-year-old girl Friday is suspected of driving impaired and faces a possible murder charge. Robert Joseph Lopez Jr., of Glendale, was arrested Sunday. Five people, including 16-year-old Devonna Crouch, were riding in the vehicle when Lopez lost control and slammed into a freeway light pole. Crouch was killed in the impact.  A witness said the sedan crossed between lanes on the road and performed risky maneuvers, such as pulling across all the lanes of traffic, and that Lopez might have been trying to scare the people in the car. Lopez offered investigators several conflicting statements about the crash, and also admitted smoking marijuana before the crash. He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on one count of second-degree murder, four counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that included one resulting in physical injury, and one count of endangerment. Passengers 18-year-old Cody Rupert, 21-year-old Joe Pena and 18-year-old Monica Serrano, were also transported to area hospitals.
Type: Car Accident
People Involved: 
Robert Joseph Lopez Jr.
Devonna Crouch
Cody Rupert
Joe Pena
Monica Serrano
Roadway: 
Interstate 10

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