Woman sentenced after fatal drunk driving crash that killed Winston-Salem teenager

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (WGHP) – A woman was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in connection with a fatal 2023 drunk driving crash in Winston-Salem, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office.

background

On August 26, 2023, at approximately 1:11 a.m., officers responded to the 6000 block of Bethabara Park Boulevard after receiving a report of an accident involving injuries.

At the scene of the accident, police found two vehicles on the road. The drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals.

Junior Felipe Oliva Lanza, 19, of Winston-Salem, who was riding in one of the vehicles, was taken to a local hospital where He later died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident.

Investigators said at the time that a vehicle was traveling eastbound on Bethabara Park Boulevard while the vehicle Lanza was riding in was traveling westbound on Bethabara Park Boulevard when “for unknown reasons,” the eastbound vehicle collided head-on with the vehicle Lanza was riding in.

On September 26, 2023, Janet Jacobo, 33, of Winston-Salem, was charged with hit-and-run and driving under the influence in connection with the case.

New information from the public prosecutor’s office

According to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office, the speed limit on the “well-lit” section of Bethabara Park Boulevard is 35 mph. The 2023 Jeep Wrangler Jacobo was driving the night of the crash was traveling 48 mph five seconds before the crash.

A friend who had spent the evening with Jacobo was driving a short distance behind her east on Bethabara Park Boulevard and saw the accident.

Shortly before the accident, Jacobo’s girlfriend called her and told her she had left something at her apartment and should pick it up. Jacobo then attempted to turn around and moved into the westbound lane, where she crashed into the front of the 2007 Toyota Sequoia in which Lanza was a passenger.

The Sequoia was driven by a 16-year-old boy who was following all traffic laws at the time of the accident.

Jacobo’s girlfriend said the two were recently at her apartment after going out to dinner, where Jacobo drank “two tequila cocktails.” At the apartment, the two talked for a few hours and Jacobo “reportedly ate some popcorn but didn’t have anything else to drink.”

Prosecutors say the girlfriend’s account of events matches Jacobo’s. Jacobo told investigators she “felt safe driving.”

The teen driver of the Sequoia told investigators he was traveling at 30-35 miles per hour when Jacobo suddenly veered directly into his lane, leaving him no time to react or avoid the collision. Jacobo allegedly told the teen “she saw his vehicle and was very sorry for hitting him.”

First responders at the scene noticed an odor of alcohol coming from Jacobo. Blood tests later showed that she had a blood alcohol content of 0.126 at the time of the accident, which is 0.046 more than the legal limit of 0.08 in North Carolina.

Investigators’ reconstruction of the accident found that Jacobo’s impairment “prevented her from responding to the otherwise visible Sequoia as she attempted to turn in the road” and that her actions were the “proximate cause of the accident and Lanza’s subsequent death.”

Conviction

On Thursday, Jacobo pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence in connection with Lanza’s death.

The judge sentenced her to 44 to 65 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended for 36 months in accordance with the law.

As part of his probation, Jacobo must serve 13 months in prison, perform 100 hours of community service, undergo drug counseling and reimburse Lanza’s family nearly $8,000 for funeral expenses.