Leonardo Rodriguez, a resident of Pico Rivera, received a sentence of five years and four months in state prison for his involvement as the driver in a fatal 2024 crash on U.S. 101 at Newbury Park. The collision claimed the lives of two individuals and occurred in Ventura County.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s office, Rodriguez, aged 21, was driving a black Honda Accord on U.S. 101 near Thousand Oaks on the morning of October 31, 2024. He attempted to overtake a car in the slow lane by using the shoulder of the road. During this maneuver, he reached a speed of 124 mph and collided with a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder.

The crash resulted in the deaths of his girlfriend, Serenity Rizkalla, and his friend, Michael Estrella. Both were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Another friend traveling in the car with Rodriguez sustained minor injuries alongside Rodriguez himself.

This tragedy was preventable, and the victims’ families will forever live with the consequences,” expressed Deputy District Attorney George Brietigam. “We hope today’s sentence provides their loved ones with some measure of closure.

In June, Rodriguez entered a guilty plea to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, acknowledging his responsibility in the crash.