Troopers: Man Was Intoxicated When He Caused Crash That Injured Two, Killed Two

A Bristol Township resident has been charged after a fatal high-speed crash that happened in December 2019.

Kevin R. Peters, 37, of the township’s Fairless Hills section, was arraigned Monday afternoon on two counts of murder of the third degree, aggravated assault, homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, simple assault. He was charged with three counts of DUI and a number of related offenses. District Judge Kevin Wagner set bail at 10 percent of $500,000, which ended up posting later.

Peters is charged in connection with the early morning Friday, December 6, 2019 crash on I-95 by the connector in Bristol Township.

“Though somewhat unusual in fatal crashes, murder charges have been brought in this case as the District Attorney’s Office alleges the deceased victims died as a result of Peters’ extreme and prolonged disregard and indifference for the safety of those he shared the road with the morning of Dec. 6,” a statement from prosecutors said.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, a Toyota Sienna minivan was traveling along the highway while the occupants were on their way home from work. Due to concern about mechanical issue, the minivan had its hazard lights on. Peters’ Mazda CX-5 slammed into the minivan from behind. The minivan with four people inside went off the highway and hit a concrete barrier, causing it to quickly become engulfed in flames.

Inside the burning vehicle, 20-year-old Juan Tavarez-Santelises and 35-year-old Claribel Dominguez, both of Philadelphia, were killed in the back seat by the fast-moving fire, state police said.

The driver of the minivan and his passenger, who was related to both men who died, were injured and suffered burns, state police said.

An autopsy revealed that Dominguez and Tavarez-Santelises died of thermal burns.

An ambulance crew that did not witness the crash but quickly came upon the scene as they were transporting a patient along the highway found the fiery scene. The crew helped remove an injured Peters from his SUV, noting he was dressed up, state police.

The investigation into the crash found that Peters was drinking at a work function in Center City, Philadelphia and hit a bar a few blocks away in the hours leading up to the fatal wreck, state police said.

Troopers said they obtained surveillance video from the Three Logan Square office tower on Arch Street in the city that shows Peters going to his car in the parking garage and driving away not long before the crash.

Further investigation found that Bucks County 9-1-1 operators received calls about 15 minutes before the violent crash for a white Mazda SUV matching Peters’ “driving in an erratic manner” and that the driver may have been intoxicated. The ambulance crew that stopped to assist also noted seeing the SUV whiz pass them on the highway at a high rate of speed, according to court papers.

Troopers ended up obtaining vehicle data from Peters’ Mazda. The data indicated that the SUV was traveling at between 106 mph and 115 mph at the time of the crash, state police said.