FORT WORTH -- A Tarrant County jury granted probation Friday to a Grand Prairie man who police say was drunk when his vehicle struck a tree, killing two friends he had known since high school.
Arturo DeLaHoya, who was 21 at the time of the wreck, faced a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each of two counts of intoxication manslaughter. He got two 10-year probated sentences.The jury also assessed a $7,500 fine on each count.DeLaHoya was convicted Wednesday. The jury began deliberating his sentence Thursday afternoon and returned with a decision Friday morning.The two friends, Angel Zuniga and Juan Rodriguez, both 24, were pronounced dead Oct. 24, 2010, at the scene of the crash in the 1000 block of Macon Street in Fort Worth.The three men were together the previous night watching a mixed martial arts contest with other friends, according to testimony. DeLaHoya's blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.20, more than twice the legal limit, said Robert Foran, a Tarrant County prosecutor.DeLaHoya's Chevrolet Avalanche pickup was going an estimated 65 mph when it crashed into the tree, Foran said.A Fort Worth police officer testified that it was difficult to convince DeLaHoya, now 24, that his friends had died in the crash."He said it was their fault anyway," the officer told the jury. "They gave him the keys, and they made him drive."Mitch Mitchell, 817-390-7752Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
