‘I got into that car trusting him’: Teen pleads guilty in crash that killed 2
His birthday was three days away. But 17-year-old Gabriel Escandon celebrated early with his family and several friends.
He wouldn’t live to turn 18.
After the small party, Escandon and four other teenagers got into a 2018 Mazda 6. That’s when the driver, 19-year-old Oliver Luis Roman, hit speeds of more than 90 mph on Towne Lake Parkway before leaving the Cherokee County road and crashing into a tree in the center median, according to investigators.
This week, Roman pleaded guilty in the 2024 crash that killed two and critically injured two others, the Cherokee district attorney said.
Roman, of Powder Springs, was sentenced to 20 years but with only the first year in jail. After serving his time, he must complete 240 hours of community service, pay restitution and surrender his driver’s license.
He was sentenced as a first offender, pleading guilty to two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, three counts of serious injury by vehicle and one count of reckless driving, the district attorney said.
“The consequences of driving recklessly are tragic and permanent, and they ripple through families, friends and entire communities,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a statement. “These were good young men with so much promise and potential. To the victims and their families: I want you to know that we see your pain and carry your stories with us forever.”
Around 8 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2024, Roman crashed near the entrance to Towne Lake Hills East, the sheriff’s office previously said.
All five people inside the car had to be extricated. Escandon, a Pope High School student, died at the scene and 18-year-old Esteban Cortez-Rendon, who had attended Etowah High School, died before the ambulance made it to the hospital, investigators said. Two others, Christopher Peixoto, then 17, and Alejandro Trejo, then 18, were critically injured.
Four of the five grew up together, playing soccer and chasing their dreams with plans to attend college, their families said. Trejo had been visiting Cortez-Rendon from Oklahoma, joining in the birthday celebration before he suffered multiple injuries and broken bones in the crash.
A joint funeral service was held days later for Escandon and Cortez-Rendon.
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. Every day, according to the CDC, an average of eight teens are killed in crashes, with night driving and speed among the factors.
In a separate crash days before Roman’s sentencing, four young friends were killed in a Bartow County wreck after the driver allegedly failed to stop for a red light, according to investigators. They ranged in ages from 15 to 20.
Prosecutors wanted Roman to serve longer, recommending 10 years in custody, while his attorney wanted him to serve only probation time. Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. imposed the 20-year sentence and said the 12 months will be served in the county jail.
Before the sentencing, the judge heard from Peixoto, who said Cortez-Rendon had been more than his best friend. He was like a brother, and at a recent sleepover, the buddies had stayed up reading the Bible rather than playing video games, Peixoto said.
“I got into that car trusting him. We all did,” Peixoto said of Roman. “I was in the back seat, following my best friend, Esteban. None of us knew the driver would go to such dangerous speeds. Gabe and Esteban didn’t make it out.”
Peixoto suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple other injuries that required him to spend 42 days in the hospital, where he was unconscious for his own 18th birthday, he said. He had to relearn to walk and talk, missed his high school graduation and gave up playing soccer at Young Harris College.
“Getting behind the wheel of a car is a privilege, not a right,” Peixoto said, reading his impact statement in court. “That privilege turned into criminal behavior by the defendant being behind the wheel.”
