A New Year’s Eve 2023 DUI crash that tore through a South Los Angeles family has ended with an 11‑year, eight‑month state prison sentence for the driver, closing out a case that has haunted a neighborhood and left a 1‑year‑old girl as the only surviving member of her immediate family.
On Friday, Los Angeles resident Jordan Kahari Isaac pleaded no contest to three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury. The court immediately sentenced him to 11 years and eight months in state prison, according to MyNewsLA.
Investigators say the collision happened around 11:20 p.m. on December 31, 2023, at 60th Place and Normandie Avenue, when Isaac allegedly ran a stop sign and T‑boned the family’s sedan. LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno described the impact as “so violent,” with bystanders rushing in to try to help. The father, 49‑year‑old Jose Manuel Pascagaza, died at the scene. His 5‑year‑old daughter Mia later died at a hospital, and the mother, Luisa Bernal, also succumbed to her injuries. A 1‑year‑old sister was injured but survived, according to FOX 11.
How Prosecutors Built the Case
The Los Angeles County District Attorney first filed charges in January 2024, bringing a sweeping complaint that included three counts of murder, three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and additional allegations tied to a hit‑and‑run and injury. In announcing the charges, the office described Isaac’s alleged conduct as having “destroyed” a young family, according to the charging announcement reported by the Culver City Observer.
Three murder counts were later dismissed at a July 2025 hearing, and the case moved forward on the remaining felony counts before Isaac entered his no‑contest plea, MyNewsLA reported. In the months after the crash, the victims’ daughter organized a GoFundMe effort to return the bodies to Colombia, and neighbors created a makeshift memorial of candles, flowers, and photos at the intersection where the collision occurred, according to the same outlet.
Legal Notes on the No‑Contest Plea
By pleading no contest, Isaac chose to resolve the criminal case without a trial, allowing the court to impose a set prison term rather than leaving sentencing to a jury’s verdict. Local prosecutors had earlier underscored the severity of the crash and the scale of the family’s loss when they first publicized the original filing, as noted in coverage of the District Attorney’s charging announcement by the Culver City Observer.
