A Socorro man has been sentenced to three years and six months in a Juárez state prison after admitting responsibility for a June 2024 crash that killed three teenagers. The defendant, identified by authorities as Henry Raygoza, accepted the penalty through an abbreviated procedure in a Ciudad Juárez courtroom on Thursday, avoiding a full oral trial.
The fatal wreck unfolded at the intersection of Bernardo Norzagaray Boulevard and General Rivas Guillén Street near the Santa Fe Bridge, investigators said. Raygoza allegedly rear-ended a Honda, sending it over a median and into oncoming traffic, where a semi struck it and killed three youths aged 12, 14, and 16 while injuring other occupants, according to KVIA.
Guilty plea and charges
Prosecutors in Chihuahua charged Raygoza with homicide, property damage, and bodily injury. Court coverage indicates he gave up his right to an oral trial and opted for the abbreviated procedure. Local reporting describes a hearing where Raygoza acknowledged his responsibility and accepted both the prison term and reparations the judge outlined, per El Diario de Juárez.
Why the sentence is limited
Court rulings in the case treated the crash as an act of imprudence rather than intentional homicide, a legal distinction under Mexican law that significantly narrows sentencing options. Appeals and court documents note that prosecutors could not establish the subjective intent needed to elevate the case to deliberate homicide, and reporting also points to a procedural misstep involving a missed consular notification that forced parts of the process to be repeated, according to Azteca Ciudad Juárez.
Family reaction and restitution
Relatives of the victims were in the courtroom and later spoke with reporters. One mother told El Diario de Juárez that she wanted the legal ordeal to be over, even as she questioned parts of Raygoza's version of events. The judge also ordered financial reparations: local outlets report payments of about 10,500 pesos to the municipality for infrastructure damage and roughly 90,000 pesos to the transport company whose truck was involved, on top of the custodial sentence.
Where he'll serve time
Authorities say Raygoza will serve his term at CERESO 3 in Ciudad Juárez. Local reporting notes he has already been held nearly two years in preventive detention, so with credit for time served, he may have around 18 months left behind bars, according to Puente Libre.
Cross-border implications
The case, involving a U.S. resident prosecuted in Mexico for a crash that killed Juárez teenagers, has put a spotlight on how cross-border criminal cases move through the system. Local coverage has zeroed in on the procedural and consular questions raised since the collision, tracking each legal turn and highlighting that outcomes south of the border can look very different from what many readers in the United States might expect, as noted by Norte Digital.
