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SALT LAKE CITY — The driver of vehicle who caused a wrong-way, head-on collision that eventually turned fatal while he was driving intoxicated has been sentenced to jail.
Zachary Stuart Masters, 24, of Layton, was ordered Monday to serve a year in the Salt Lake County Jail for his conviction automobile homicide, a second-degree felony.
On Jan. 13, 2019, Masters drove the wrong way on an off-ramp from I-15 in Salt Lake County and collided head-on with a car driven by Richard Archuleta, 78. Masters’ blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.18%, according to charging documents.
Masters was originally charged with DUI. Amended charges were filed after Archuleta died on Nov. 28 as a result of his injuries. Masters accepted a plea deal shortly after the new charges were filed, according to court records.
According to a letter submitted to the court by Masters’ mother, her son was driving home from work in Little Cottonwood Canyon where customers at a restaurant had bought him several drinks.
She said her son has been extremely remorseful since the day of the crash.
“Despite the possibility of a harsh sentence, he holds true to his core value of owning what he did and accepting the consequence,” the letter states.
The letter also said that Masters has been paying restitution to the victim’s family, which also wrote a letter asking he not be sentenced to prison.
