A North Las Vegas man will spend up to 15 years in state prison after a deadly 2023 DUI rollover that killed his friend on a rural highway outside Las Vegas. On Monday, 24-year-old Sammy Nevarez‑Villa was sentenced in Clark County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of reckless driving causing death or substantial bodily harm. The terms run consecutively, with parole eligibility after five years. His passenger, 25-year-old Leovigildo Morales‑Gomez, was ejected in the crash and died of his injuries.
Crash and charges
The wreck happened Nov. 18, 2023, when Nevarez‑Villa’s vehicle left the roadway and rolled on State Route 161 near Jean, according to the Las Vegas Review‑Journal. Investigators said both men were thrown from the vehicle because they were not wearing seatbelts, and the coroner later identified Morales‑Gomez as the passenger who died. Emergency crews shut down the highway while they worked the scene.
Guilty plea and sentence
In court, Nevarez‑Villa admitted to two counts of reckless driving with death or substantial bodily harm. Judge Tina Talim ordered consecutive prison terms of 30 to 90 months on each count, for a combined potential maximum of 15 years, according to 8 News Now. Under the sentence, he will first be eligible for parole after serving five years, and he was remanded into custody at the end of the hearing.
Courtroom evidence and judge's words
Judge Talim made it clear she saw the crash as the product of choices, not bad luck. She told the courtroom she did not view the incident as “a momentary lapse or unavoidable accident,” adding that driving impaired and recklessly “is a decision with deadly consequences,” 8 News Now reported. Prosecutors said officers found a cooler containing beer at the scene and reiterated that neither man had been wearing a seatbelt when the car rolled. Court reporting also noted that Nevarez‑Villa walked into the courtroom without handcuffs and left in the custody of officers after sentencing.
Legal context
Nevada revised its DUI statutes this year, and a law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2026 increased minimum sentences for deadly DUI offenses to between two and 25 years for a first offense and to five to 25 years for drivers with one or two prior convictions, KTNV reported. The updated statute gives prosecutors more room to seek lengthy penalties in fatal DUI cases and has fueled renewed calls from officials and victims' families for tougher punishment.
What Comes Next
The sentence falls within the new statutory range and highlights how Clark County judges are applying the updated penalties while victims' families continue to press for accountability. State officials and advocates have been pushing for stronger DUI enforcement in recent years, as the Las Vegas Review‑Journal has reported.
