A jury found Sandor Guillen guilty on Monday of all three charges in the 2012 fatal hit-and-run crash that killed 13-year-old Kaely Camacho in southwest Miami-Dade.
Guillen, 39, was found guilty of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in the April 13, 2012 crash. He had pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors and Guillen's attorney delivered their closing arguments Monday morning and jurors began deliberations in the afternoon. They returned with their verdict after only about three hours.
The victim's older sister Bree Ann Camacho, who survived the crash, said after the verdict that she hopes that "this is an example to all of you out there to never get behind the wheel while impaired. Because you are not just being selfish and could possibly take your own life but you could take other people’s lives like my sister Kaely Camacho.”
The trial began last week. Gullien’s defense attorney’s main argument was that traffic homicide investigators mishandled evidence in the case. In fact, Guillen’s attorney argued that investigators destroyed evidence to build a case against his client.
Camacho was killed when Guillen’s Land Rover struck her father’s minivan, ripping it in half on Southwest 184th Street, police said. After Guillen’s car rammed into a tree and spun five times, he fled on foot but was quickly caught, officials said.
Camacho was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where she later died. Camacho's father and sister, who were also in the vehicle, survived the impact.
Guillen had a blood alcohol level of .266 in a test done a little more than an hour after the crash, according to authorities. A second test performed about an hour after the first test showed a blood alcohol level of .246, authorities said. Florida’s legal limit is .08.
Prosecutors said Guillen was illegally driving south in the bus lane, ran a red light and slammed into the van. Guillen's attorney claimed it was Camacho’s father who actually ran a red light.
Kirk Camacho said Monday that he did not do that.
“But I definitely did not go through that red light. I knew that, and thank God justice prevailed,” he said.
