Families of crash victims speak out as Fresno driver is sentenced for killing three people
A 23-year-old Fresno man was sentenced to 19 years in prison Tuesday for a high-speed, multi-vehicle collision that killed two cousins and a loving father in March 2021.
Prosecutor Steven Ueltzen said Francisco Portillo, who was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, was trying to elude a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy who saw Portillo fishtail his Camaro as he was exiting the McKinley off-ramp from Highway 41.
Activating his lights and sirens, the deputy tried get Portillo to pull over. But the then 20-year-old Portillo, with his girlfriend in the car, took off, reaching speeds of 100 mph, Ueltzen said. The deputy called off the pursuit shortly after, but Portillo continued east.
At the intersection of Cedar and McKinley avenues, he blew through the red light.
“He hit an SUV with such force that it was launched airborne through the intersection,” Ueltzen said, as some in the courtroom began to cry.
Video shows Camaro race into Fresno intersection setting off fiery crash that killed 3
Witnesses at the scene said it sounded like a bomb had been detonated. The chain-reaction crash caused several cars to become engulfed in flames. The crash involved seven cars and caused multiple injuries and three deaths: cousins Navneet Kaur, 20, and Simranjit Kaur, 28, who were in the same car; and Juan Dominguez, 54, who was in a separate car.
Portillo pleaded no contest in October to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Families recall victims of fatal crash
On Tuesday, relatives of Dominguez were too emotionally upset to speak during Portillo’s sentencing.
Manjit Multani, father of Simranjit, told Judge Charles Lee that the loss of his daughter is so devastating that he wishes his life would end as well.
“He (Portillo) took all my pleasure and my happiness,” Multani said.
Simranjit was working on her master’s degree at National University and hoped to become a counselor, her father said.
Navneet was studying to become a law enforcement officer. She was a criminal justice major at Pierce College in Southern California but was considering transferring to Fresno City College. The night of the crash the cousins had gone to take a look at the campus.
Her mother, Kulwant Kaur, was also in the car and suffered severe burns from the car fire. She said her family is brokenhearted and doesn’t understand why Portillo chose to drive while intoxicated.
“Because of his mistake we have lost our children from this world,” said Kulwant Kaur. “He took three lives in a second.”
Judge imposes sentence
A remorseful looking Portillo bowed his head as family members of the crash victims spoke.
He offered apologies to the family members, saying that he will never forget the pain he has caused and for that he is very sorry.
“I pray daily that one day the Lord will forgive me,” Portillo said.
Attorney Eddie Ruiz urged the judge to give his client some leniency, adding that Portillo had no criminal record, was young when the crash happened and accepted responsibility.
The judge took those mitigating factors into consideration and sentenced Portillo to 19 years and four months.
“No sentence this court can impose can make the families whole. The law is not capable of doing that here,” Lee said. “I can only convey my deepest sympathies to the families and let them know that they have been heard.”
