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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Volusia County man was arrested on Thursday after a fiery crash last year left his girlfriend dead, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
On Jan. 4, 2022 around 11:57 p.m., law enforcement responded to Kennedy Parkway near the intersection with U.S. Highway 1, troopers said in an arrest report.
The report shows that a pickup truck driven by then 21-year-old Luis Franco had crashed into a concrete utility pole and caught fire, leaving Franco injured and his 20-year-old girlfriend — later identified as Taylor Huggins — dead.
According to investigators, Franco had been driving north behind another vehicle along Kennedy Parkway and was trying to pass using the southbound lane. However, two deer crossing the road caused both vehicles to brake and prompted Franco to reenter the northbound lane, investigators said.
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After the deer passed, Franco then sped around the other vehicle toward the last curve leading to U.S. Highway 1, the report says.
However, Franco crashed into a utility pole near the intersection, causing the pole to “light up with blue flashes and arcs of electricity” before Franco’s truck caught fire, troopers stated.
Court records show that Franco was able to escape the vehicle, and the other vehicle’s driver called 911 to report the crash. However, Huggins died in the crash, and her body was ejected from the vehicle, troopers said.
“My name is Luis Franco. I believe my friend’s dead…” Franco stated during the 911 call. “I didn’t realize the road turned. We hit something, my truck’s on fire, my dog’s probably dead… I was driving like an (expletive). Things were going in my head… I was going around a curve. I didn’t realize the curve was there, and I said, ‘Oh, (expletive)’ right when I realized, and boom…”
Investigators said they later watched through body camera video taken by deputies who responded to the crash. According to investigators, the video shows Franco being talkative with a “range of emotions, including remorse, sadness and making lighthearted comments.”
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The arrest report says Franco had slurred speech and asked deputies whether injuries he suffered in the crash would “leave a cool scar.”
“If I had my phone still, I’d say take a picture, man,” Franco told deputies, according to the report. “This would be a cool picture.”
Troopers added that Franco admitted to being the driver and explained he pulled Huggins’ body from the wreck following the crash.
“I know I’m in the wrong. I definitely do…” Franco says in the video. “I just can’t believe I did that. I saw that turn, and that’s the last thing I remember: is seeing that turn, and the next thing you know, everything is just blurry. I don’t even know. I pulled out my knife. I stabbed the airbag twice. I looked over in the passenger seat. I didn’t even check on my dog. I screamed out (Huggins’) name, and she’s laying on the ground.”
Troopers said they later uncovered Franco’s medical records, finding that Franco had a blood-alcohol concentration well above the legal limit upon being taken to the hospital after the crash.
The records also showed that Franco admitted to drinking several “Crown” shots and mixed drinks, troopers added.
Following the investigation, Franco was eventually arrested on April 27, 2023. He faces a charge of DUI resulting in the death of a human being and is held on a $75,000 bond.
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