Judge's attack on woman who can't stop drink-driving after she kills
Share and Follow

A Florida judge delivered a blistering courtroom attack on a repeat drunk driver who killed her own cousin in a horror crash – her second fatal drink-driving conviction in seven years.

Jennifer Carvajal, 28, has been sentenced to 67 years in prison for causing a crash that killed her own cousin and seriously injured two others in 2021.

The Plant City, Florida, woman wept and buried her face as a judge delivered a scathing verdict that will keep her locked up until her late 70s, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

The crash killed Pedro Carbajal and seriously injured two other people near Interstate 4.

Judge G. Gregory Green said he struggled to comprehend how she could commit the same deadly crime twice in her lifetime.

‘It is almost as if instead of taking every step to avoid putting yourself in that situation again, you took steps to ensure that it happened,’ the Hillsborough Circuit judge told the repeat offender.

‘And that is incomprehensible for this court,’ he added.

The first time Carvajal drove drunk and killed someone in 2014, she received just five years in prison.

The second time, she got two-thirds of a century behind bars.

Carvajal reportedly wept in court throughout the four-hour sentencing hearing -repeatedly apologizing to her dead cousin’s devastated family.

‘No matter how many sorrys I say to each of you, or even him, I could never forgive myself,’ Carvajal said, as reported by the outlet.

The court heard how Carvajal had a traumatic childhood, including sexual abuse by male relatives that only came to light when she was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease at age nine.

She never received proper mental health treatment for what was later identified as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

This led her to contemplate suicide and self-harm with broken glass.

By age 11, she was already drinking beer and smoking weed at school as she desperately tried to cope with her psychological pain through alcohol abuse, her attorney told the court.

Her own father was arrested when she was 11 for raping an older female relative and spent five years in prison before he was deported to Mexico, the Tampa Bay Times revealed.

She was hospitalized for two suicide attempts, according to court records obtained by the outlet. 

‘Jennifer committed these acts because she’s broken,’ said Assistant Public Defender Nicole Engebretsen. ‘She was a broken child that never healed.’

But prosecutors didn’t show mercy for the repeat killer.

‘Two people have lost their lives at the hands of Jennifer Carvajal,’ Assistant State Attorney Dawn Hart told the cour5t.

‘This community is not safe if Miss Carvajal is ever allowed back in society.’ 

Carvajal was arrested on April 25, 2021, after an 111 mph police chase that led to a deadly crash. 

When the trooper tried to pull her over, Carvajal made a hard right turn that sent the Hyundai Elantra down an embankment before going airborne and hitting a concrete light pole and a palm tree. It then overturned in the parking lot of a car dealership. 

Carvajal’s cousin Pedro Carbajal, 22, was killed when he was ejected from the back seat of the car. 

Pedro’s girlfriend Lexcia Gonzalez, 20, was also ejected from the back seat and broke both of her legs. 

A front seat passenger, 19-year-old Grady Ramirez, had ‘incapacitating’ injuries.

When asked by the trooper who was driving the car, Gonzalez pointed to Carvajal – who denied she was the driver. The car was registered to Gonzalez.

Carvajal’s first deadly crash happened around 6.30am on February 5, 2014, when she was speeding down Alexander Street at 55mph in a gold Lincoln Navigator with her headlights off. She tore through a red light and plowed into a black Toyota Echo.

The Toyota was being driven by a newspaper deliveryman, 52-year-old Keith Allen Davis, and was smashed into a concrete divider.

Carvajal, who was then 16 years old, told a bystander that she had just received her learner’s permit and didn’t have insurance, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

‘I am sorry, it was my fault,’ Carvajal said as Davis lay on the ground bleeding and unconscious. 

Davis was taken a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cops found an empty can of Four Loko, a cheap malt liquor favored by young partygoers, with an empty beer can and an empty bottle of Patron tequila, the outlet reported. Her blood content was measured at .13 – above the legal limit of .08.

Carvajal pleaded no contest to charges of DUI manslaughter in an adult court and faced sentencing after she turned 18 years old.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Dallas Cowboys make emotional gesture after devastating Texas floods

Dallas Cowboys’ Heartfelt Gesture in Response to Devastating Texas Floods

The Dallas Cowboys have pledged $500,000 to the relief efforts of the…
Sparks jab Sophie Cunningham over controversial WNBA comments

Sparks slam Sophie Cunningham for controversial WNBA comments

The Los Angeles Sparks didn’t let Sophie Cunningham forget. The Sparks won…
Late Queen's verdict on Meghan was 'uncharacteristically damning'

Late Queen’s criticism of Meghan was unusually harsh

The late Queen Elizabeth allegedly ‘saw through’ Meghan Markle, and claimed her…
Trump's glamorous right hand woman gives behind-the-scenes look

Insider Peek at Trump’s Stylish Female Associate

Donald Trump’s glamorous aide, Margo Martin, gave an inside look at her…
Texas weather: Massive recovery efforts underway in Kerr County following catastrophic flooding in Central Texas

Recovery Efforts in Kerr County Following Catastrophic Flooding in Central Texas

KERR COUNTY, Texas — Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of…
DA Alvin Bragg put criminals first — I'll end era of excuses

Alvin Bragg prioritizes criminals – I will put an end to making excuses

Last month, a Manhattan courthouse turned into a crime scene when a…
Texas flooding victims: What we know about those who lost their lives

Facts about the individuals who died in Texas floods

() The Fourth of July weekend flash flooding on the Guadalupe River…
Tim Hill came up clutch

Tim Hill shines under pressure

Heroes, zeros and the inside pitch from the Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Mets on…