WEST VALLEY CITY — A young man who had methamphetamine in his system when he crashed his car into three young children, killing two of them, was given the maximum prison sentence Thursday while many spectators in a packed courtroom wept.
Michael Joseph Whitton, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree felony auto homicide and a class A misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence.
Third District Judge Pat Brian sentenced Whitton to one to 15 years in prison for each felony and a year in jail for the misdemeanor, with the sentences to run consecutively.
"This is truly a sad day," the judge said.
Whitton admitted having a small amount of methamphetamine and marijuana in his system when he was driving Sept. 18, 2003. After witnesses saw Whitton driving recklessly, his vehicle zoomed over a curb and into a driveway, striking three children who were playing there.
Jorge Almeida-Robles, 9, and his sister, Yanira J. Robles, 4, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their brother, Christopher Robles, 6, was flown to a hospital in critical condition. Christopher has undergone several operations, currently walks with leg braces and will need more surgery to regain as much mobility as possible, according to relatives.
"Of all places in the community, a child should be safe in his or her own front yard," Brian said. "The defendant put in motion circumstances that were destined to result in tragedy and heartbreak sooner or later."
The judge specifically referred to Whitton's history of substance abuse and complaints from others about his reckless driving.
Brian also noted the horror that enveloped the Robles family, who saw the gory accident, along with neighbors, Good Samaritans who stopped to help and other witnesses.
"The people affected can never erase those images from their minds," he said.
Brian also expressed dismay at the magnitude of the DUI problem that faces all of society. "It simply is an issue that has reached epidemic proportions in this community and communities throughout the United States, where people impair themselves with alcohol or drugs and then elect to drive," Brian said.
During his time to speak, Whitton turned to the children's parents, and told them he was "terribly, terribly sorry.
"I wish I could take back that terrible accident," he said. "If there was a way I could trade my life for those two young children, I would."
Luis Robles and Ana Saldana Robles, the parents, each addressed the court in Spanish and through an interpreter did not ask for the maximum punishment but did ask for justice.
"It is very painful to lose children. We feel the emptiness at home," Luis Robles said. "The only child left behind will never be the same."
Ana Saldana Robles expressed similar sentiments and said she hopes Whitton will never do something like this again. "He doesn't know what it's like to lose two children."
An aunt, Luz Robles, tearfully recalled the horror of the accident scene and, later, the heartbreak of watching two small white coffins lowered into the grave. "There are no words to describe to a 6-year-old that a man decided to consume drugs and killed his brother and sister," she said.
Outside the courtroom, Luz Robles said no prison term can bring back the two lost children, but the judge's sentence might send a message to others who could be considering getting high and driving.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com