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SALT LAKE CITY — A driver who pleaded guilty to a triple-fatal DUI crash as he fled from police has been sentenced to prison.
Jonathan Ulises Analco-Cruz, 24, was sentenced to one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for the deaths of his 18-year-old girlfriend, 17-year-old brother and a 14-year-old friend.
Analco-Cruz pleaded guilty in March to two counts of DUI automobile homicide, a second-degree felony. A third charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal. Cruz also pleaded guilty to failure to stop at an officer's command, a second-degree felony.
Investigators say Cruz was traveling 60 mph in a 35 mph zone at Salt Lake City International Airport when an officer attempted to pull him over on May 17, 2014. Cruz sped off toward I-80, reaching speeds of 103 mph and losing control near the I-215 interchange.
Cruz was found in critical condition, his three passengers dead inside the car. Cruz's girlfriend, Michaela Martin, 18, of Taylorsville, was killed in the crash. She had been sitting in the front seat. Hardinger Cruz, 17, of Salt Lake City, and Randy Ruiz, 14, of Midvale, were killed in the back seat.
Related:
Man pleads guilty in high-speed crash that killed 3 passengers
A man accused of killing three passengers in his car during a high-speed crash as he fled from police has pleaded guilty.Marijuana and an empty beer can were found in the wreckage, while toxicology reports showed Cruz's blood-alcohol level was 0.21 and indicated THC in his system, the charges state. Utah's legal limit is 0.08.
In a letter from one of Randy's siblings filed in 3rd District Court, the family asked that Analco-Cruz receive a fitting sentence.
"This family isn't the same without (Randy), we're all torn apart," the letter reads. "All we are asking is that for is that Jonathan pay for what he did, even though we all know that no matter how much time he's sentenced for, that won't bring my brother Randy, Roman, nor Michaela back. But we just want justice."
