Background: An image taken at the scene of a Nov. 29 car crash that killed two people (Utah Department of Public Safety). Inset: Leo Shepherd and Anneka Wilson (GoFundMe).
Jose Angel Torres Jimenez, aged 21, was apprehended at the accident site on Interstate 15 in Salt Lake County, Utah, last Saturday. According to police reports, Jimenez, who only possessed a learner’s permit, was allegedly intoxicated when he drove in the wrong direction and collided with a vehicle. This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 18-year-old Leo Shepherd and 17-year-old Anneka Wilson, who were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Local ABC affiliate KTVX shared court records indicating that a state trooper questioned Jimenez about his confidence in driving safely, to which Jimenez reportedly replied, “No.”
According to a release from the Utah Department of Public Safety, the unfortunate crash occurred shortly after midnight when Jimenez drove his Audi SQ5 southbound in the northbound lanes of I-15. His vehicle soon collided with Shepherd’s Nissan Rogue, which burst into flames upon impact.
Court documents reveal that when a state trooper approached Jimenez’s vehicle, he immediately detected a strong smell of alcohol. Jimenez exhibited signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, “glassy, bloodshot eyes,” and “very relaxed facial features.”
Court documents stated that a state trooper went over to Jimenez’s car and opened the door. The trooper said he “immediately detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” upon finding Jimenez, who was slurring his words and had “glassy, bloodshot eyes” and “very relaxed facial features.”
While administering a field sobriety test, the trooper said Jimenez stumbled and admitted that he had been drinking that night.
Shepherd and Wilson were later identified by family members as the teen couple killed in the crash. Wilson’s brother told local CBS affiliate KUTV that his sister was getting ready to graduate from high school and study radiology. He said, “We’ve lost two beautiful young souls to yet another DUI and things need to change.”
Jimenez was charged with two counts of automobile homicide, driving under the influence, and violation of a learner’s permit. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
