Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
Bucks County Judge Diane Gibbons sentenced a man who was intoxicated when he caused a fiery 2019 crash that killed two and hurt two others to state prison.
With that message made clear, Gibbons sentenced Kevin R. Peters, 38, of Bristol Township’s Fairless Hills section, to 19.5 to 39 years behind bars Friday morning at the Bucks County Justice Center.
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Following a September trial, Peters was convicted by a jury on two counts of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. Gibbon also found Peters guilty on two counts of driving under the influence and summary offenses of following too closely, reckless driving, disregarding a traffic lane and driving at an unsafe speed.
Peters was driving his Mazda CX-5 at a high rate of speed along I-95 in Bristol Township after a night of partying in Philadelphia. He was hammered while behind the wheel.
The Mazda struck a minivan disabled on the shoulder of I-95 by the Turnpike connector early in the morning of Friday, December 6, 2019. The impact tossed the vehicles and caused the minivan to burst into flames.
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Juan Tavarez-Santelises, 20, and Claribel Dominguez, 35, both of Philadelphia, were killed in the back seat of the minivan by the fast-moving fire. The two died of thermal burns. Juan Alberto Tavarez, who was the 20-year-old’s father, and another man were badly hurt.
Peters, according to authorities and testimony at the trial, had been disoriented and driving around after leaving Center City following a night of heavy drinking. He turned down opportunities to get home by train, with a co-worker, and by rideshare because he wanted to drive his own vehicle.
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A blood draw performed two hours after the crash indicated Peters had a blood-alcohol concentration of at least .151 while driving, state police said.
Peters testified that he reached down to the passenger-side floor to get his phone out of a bag and looked up as he slammed into the minivan. His Mazda recorded him going more than 100 mph before the crash.
Peters spoke during his sentencing and said he accepted the jury’s verdict and passed along his thoughts to the families of those impacted by the crash.
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“Words are not enough,” he said.
Gibbons appreciated Peters comments, but said he seemed more concerned about himself than the nightmare scenario he caused for the four victims and their families. She told him he survived and felt the heat from the fire that consumed two lives and injured two men just feet away from him.
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The judge said in court that the four victims were coming off an 11-hour shift at a packing plant and followed all the laws. When their minivan experienced problems, they pulled over to the shoulder with the four-way flashers on.
“They did everything right,” she said.
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Gibbons noted the Peters, according to evidence, left his corporate job for a night out and drank liquor and beer in the city with co-workers. When he left Center City in his Mazda, he had trouble paying to leave the parking garage and didn’t have his headlights on. When he had the decision to take lower-speed Broad Street or high-speed I-95, he chose the highway, starting a chain of events that forever altered the lives of the families involved.
Juan Alberto Tavarez, who was injured himself in the crash and lost his son in the minivan, told the court he was working to reconstruct his life. He worries about finances due to his injuries and new pains that are now becoming visible.
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“To see your son die … in the middle of the fire … and to see my son become smoke is something horrible,” he said through a translator.
“I do go to church for the man over there,” Tavarez said while looking at Peters. “I pray for the ones we lost, and I pray for you.”
Tavarez had the court play a video of his son performing on the tambora, a Dominican drum. He said his son had mastered numerous other instruments and had so much to offer.
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Dominguez’s husband declined to speak in court, but a prosecutor told the court the mother received her nursing degree before coming to America. Her husband, from the courtroom benches, softly said it was the American dream.
Prosecutor David Keightly said to the judge that the crash was very severe, adding that burning alive in a vehicle is “one of the worst ways to die.”
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Prior to the crash, Peters had a clean criminal history. Character statements presented to the judge made the case driving drunk was an anomaly for a normally great guy.
Attorney Lou Busico. who represented Peters, told the court the case should be a lesson to others that they should not drive while intoxicated.
Peters’ wife said her husband is a great father and partner. She added that she understands there would be punishment, but vowed her husband would work to repay his debt to society.
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The judge made clear that she understood her sentence would impact Peters, his wife, daughter, and family, but justice needed to be served because he forever harmed the victims and their families.
“You must be held responsible,” she said.
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