Man sentenced to prison for killing Springville newlywed 'hero' in fatal DUI crash

PROVO — Joseph Daines read selections from his son's daily journal in a Provo courtroom on Tuesday. He talked about his son's dedication to God and his desire to find a wife and build a family with her, with entries spanning years until the day before his death.

Matthew Daines wrote about meeting his future wife, Angela, and being "smitten" after "one of the best first dates" in January 2025. Just a few weeks later, he wrote that he had found the girl he wanted to marry.

"I've prayed for a girl like her to come into my life for years now, and now she is finally here," he wrote.

After getting engaged in early April, he wrote, "I want to have a wonderful and long life with Andrea that leads into eternity. ... I'm trying so hard to love her with all my heart."

He wrote about their wedding on July 19, 2025, learning she was pregnant just a few weeks later and trying to serve her on a day she didn't feel well.

"I want to be the best husband and father I can be," 25-year-old Matthew Daines had written.

Matthew Daines, however, was killed on Sept. 3, 2025, as he and his wife, Andrea, were walking to get pizza near 40 East and 400 South in Springville. Daines pushed his wife out of the way of a Chevrolet Silverado that hopped the curb and he later died at the hospital.

A Superman cape hangs on a tree near that spot as a memorial of his heroic actions.

Travis Patrick McIntyre, 42, of Tooele, the man driving the erratic truck, pleaded guilty to automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, and was sentenced by 4th District Court Judge Denise Porter to five to 15 years in prison on Tuesday.

The judge thanked Joseph Daines for reading his journal entries, saying it is the first opportunity she has had to "look so deeply" at a person who was lost in one of her cases. Porter said hearing about his experience falling in love was "utterly delightful and heartbreaking all at once."

"Matthew sounds intensely charming and hardworking," the judge said.

She told the family, including about 50 people in the courtroom and more attending virtually, that she can't understand their loss, but thanked them for helping her understand who he was through their written statements.

Deputy Utah County attorney Ryan McBride said on Sept. 3, 2025, McIntyre chose to drink so much he passed out, drove his truck off the road, ran over a light post and onto the sidewalk, where Matthew Daines pushed his wife out of the way and was hit.

"Matthew Daines sealed his life with the final act of sacrifice to save his wife and child from the defendant," he said. "No sentence this court can impose will change the fact that Andrea and his daughter ... will go through life without him."

McBride said, however, that the sentence could reflect McIntyre's selfish act and the value of the life that was lost — "a man who made the world a better place."

He urged McIntyre to "try to be like Matthew Daines" and dedicate his life to sacrificing his own desires for others.

McIntyre's attorney, Michael Petro, said he had no prior record, was a successful businessman and had a good relationship with his wife and child — but "unfortunately chose to drink and drive." He said the man has been cooperative and remorseful during the 294 days he has already spent in custody.

McIntyre said he takes accountability and is sorry for "such an avoidable and selfish act." He said he wished he could go back, but it won't take away the pain, and he made a promise to be the best person he can be.

"I'm not to a point where I can even ask for forgiveness, I'm a long ways from even forgiving myself, let alone asking others to," he said. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm so sorry."

He ended by saying there is nothing he could do to make it right, and Porter responded: "No, there's not."

Before sentencing McIntyre, Porter said they both knew it was not his first time driving under the influence, despite a clear criminal record. She asked him whether it was true or false that someone would not have any motor skills to drive while having a blood alcohol level of .30 unless they have had "a massive alcohol problem for a long time." McIntyre confirmed, saying, "True."

"There is a room full of people sitting behind you from at least two different extended families that you have destroyed. Because you couldn't be bothered to call an Uber. Because you couldn't be bothered to call your wife. ... This man lost his life saving his wife and his unborn child because you couldn't be bothered."

She echoed McIntyre's statement, saying the tragedy was "completely avoidable."

"You can't ever fix this, you can't ever take it back … the only thing you can do is attempt in some small measure to give back, to try and do something positive," Porter said.

McIntyre's wife, Ashleigh McIntyre, also spoke about their love story, saying he was her "Prince Charming and knight in shining armor." She talked about her son, who, at 5 years old, follows his dad's example by buying her flowers and opening doors for her.

She said she recognizes the "unfairness" of the reality that her son will not be able to hug his father or continue making memories with him.

"The man I see today is not defined by the worst choice of his life. He's defined by how he has responded to this and how he has taken responsibility," she said.

Travis McIntyre pleaded guilty on May 5 under a plea deal that dismissed additional charges for negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a class A misdemeanor; drug possession, a class B misdemeanor; driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor; and a traffic infraction.

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