8- Year sentence for DWI deaths

By Cecilia Green

Published on June 05, 2006

Gabriel Gurule, 21, killed taxi driver, Dan Magnuson, and passengers, Kenneth Martinez and Ray Martinez, in a traffic accident that occurred early on Thanksgiving morning.

Ray and his cousin Kenneth were getting a ride home in the cab after a night of drinking when Gabriel Gurule, who had an alcohol level of 0.22, almost three times the legal limit, hit the taxi, killing the three men inside.

During his trial, Gurule apologized to the victims' families. The families asked the judge to give Gurule the maximum sentence of 18 years. However, the District Judge, James Blackmer, recognized that Gurule was remorseful. He had taken responsibility by pleading no-contest to the charges and was seeking help for his drinking problem.

Gurule received a sentence of eight years and four months with an additional 50 hours a year of community service, during which time he must speak to young individuals about the consequences of drinking and driving.

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