Boca Raton man sentenced to 12 years in DUI crash that killed couple, injured 1
A man who was driving while drunk and crashed into a car in West Boca early last year, killing a husband and wife and severely injuring their passenger, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Jaime Gomez Escobedo, 36, of Boca Raton, ran a red light in his 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the intersection of U.S. 441 and Kimberly Road about 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, striking the passenger side of a 2021 Nissan Rogue SUV that was traveling west on Kimberly Road through a green light, according a probable cause affidavit.
The impact forced the Nissan to “violently” roll over, finally stopping while upside down at the southwest corner of the intersection, the affidavit said.
Arie Oberlender, the 82-year-old driver of the Nissan, and passenger Golda Oberlender, 79, both of New York, were pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the Oberlenders were married.
Their passenger, Frida Bross, of Boca Raton, survived and was hospitalized with multiple serious injuries. Gomez Escobedo’s car spun before stopping in the south lanes of the intersection, and he was taken to Boca Raton Regional Hospital to be evaluated, the affidavit said.
Once admitted in the hospital, Gomez Escobedo’s blood-alcohol content was .360, according to the warrant. Two later tests showed levels of .349 and .298. The legal limit in Florida is .08%. Shortly before noon, an investigator at the scene smelled alcohol coming from Gomez Escobedo’s Jeep while doing an assessment of the crash scene.
Boca Raton man faces DUI manslaughter charges in rollover crash that killed two and injured one
A witness who was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk near the intersection at the time of the crash told law enforcement he saw the Jeep driver get out of the car and “casually” drop a Corona beer can on the shoulder of U.S. 441, the affidavit said. Another witness said he saw Gomez Escobedo walk away from his car after the crash, appearing to be “stumbling around” and could smell alcohol on him when he got near Gomez Escobedo.
Gomez Escobedo pleaded guilty April 16 to two counts of DUI manslaughter and one count of DUI causing serious bodily injury.
He was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, with a minimum mandatory sentence of four years, for the DUI manslaughter charges and a concurrent sentence of five years for the third charge, according to court records. His driver’s license will be revoked for life.