SAN ANTONIO — Nearly three years after his involvement in a hit-and-run crash that killed a father and his young daughter in the early-morning hours of New Year's Day, Cesar Gonzalez has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Two other young victims were hurt when, according to authorities, Gonzalez was speeding and crashed into a family's van as it was pulling out of the driveway of a northwest-San Antonio home, causing it to catch fire. He fled the area before police took him into custody on Jan. 2, 2020.
Jesus Aguilar Jr. and his 14-year-old daughter, Christina Spohn, died at the scene.
Arrest records stated Gonzalez was drinking beer and smoking marijuana with friends just minutes before the fiery crash.
"His life hasn't even gotten started yet. So here's another life that has been ruined and, in my own opinion, by poor decision-making," an SAPD spokesperson said at the time.
Gonzalez, who was 18 at the time of the incident, later pled guilty to multiple charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A judge sentenced him to the maximum time in prison allowed for each of those charges, but they will run concurrently in accordance with Texas law.
"In one moment, they went from celebrating the promise of the new year to grieving the loss of their loved ones," Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales is quoted as saying in a news release, referring to the Aguilar family. "Now that the defendant has been sentenced, I hope they can finally work on healing from this tragedy."