Miguel Botero, who caused three deaths in 2019 by driving the wrong way on Route 80 after a night of drinking in Morristown, was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in state prison.
The 30-year-old Dumont resident must serve at least 12 years before being eligible for parole.
Botero pleaded guilty last year to two counts of second degree vehicular homicide, and one count of third degree strict liability vehicular homicide, before Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor, who sentenced him. Botero also entered a guilty plea to drunk driving, a motor vehicle offense.
His victims were Ronald Francois, a 28-year-old father of four from Newark; Mine Hill resident Julia Rae Wells, 20, a makeup artist who reportedly appeared as a child actress in the Eddie Murphy film Tower Heist and in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire; and Jalen Davis, 20, of Stanhope.
All died at the Parsippany crash scene, on eastbound Route 80 early on Oct. 18, 2019. They were in a vehicle driven by Francois. Botero’s vehicle crossed from the westbound lanes to the eastbound side and struck them; a truck also was impacted.
The families of Francois and Davis have filed wrongful death suits against three Morristown bars–the Iron Bar, Revolution and Horseshoe Tavern–alleging they over-served Botero.
Botero’s blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit, according to the Francois family lawsuit, which also names Botero as a defendant.
Detectives Jason Gould of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Richard Hampp of the New Jersey State Police had lead roles in the criminal investigation. The case was prosecuted by county Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang.
Jeff’s point is so right. While we all feel terrible about the tragedy that occurred, where is the personal accountability and responsibility of the individual who was drinking?
Bars/restaurants should not be liable for the lack of judgement on the part of the customer.
All the training cannot prevent every potential situation especially in a high volume bar.
It’s unfortunate that bars are liable for the decisions made by people who drink too much.
When one becomes a bartender in NJ, basic education for the job includes something called the Dram Shop Law. This essential training obviously never took place. Hence the over serving. Who owns these bars? This person is in a lot of trouble.