Repeat Impaired Driver Sentenced For Fatal DUI Crash That Killed Two

Published on January 30, 2025

Today, on January 30, 2025, Jaime Figueroa (68, of Fresno) was sentenced to thirty years to life in state prison for the crimes of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with prior convictions, resulting in the death of two victims. Figueroa was the driver in a fatal crash on November 4, 2022. The crash claimed the lives of Guadalupe Sandoval (67, of Fresno) and Ubaldo Palacio (64, of Fresno). The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Heather Mardel Jones of the Fresno County Superior Court after he was found guilty of all charges by a jury on November 25, 2024.

Figueroa was driving his Hyundai Sonata southbound on Elm Avenue, just north of American Avenue, at just after 4 pm when he crossed over double yellow lines towards oncoming traffic in the northbound lane. Figueroa’s Hyundai struck the front-end of a Pontiac, driven by Guadalupe Sandoval. The crash killed both Sandoval and his passenger, Ubaldo Palacio. Following an investigation conducted by the California Highway Patrol, it was determined that Figueroa had a blood alcohol concentration of .17%, more than two times the legal limit for operating a vehicle.

Figueroa was previously convicted of two separate impaired driving offenses in 1999 and 2004.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the California Highway Patrol for their investigative work and dedication to this case.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Moss, with assistance from Senior District Attorney Investigator Randall Paulson. The case was prosecuted as a part of the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program. Funding for that program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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