A Phoenix man is headed to state prison for 15 years for a hit-and-run crash that killed 29-year-old Tucson native Dillon Mares in 2024. The sentence, handed down Friday, also includes four years of probation after release, and the judge credited the defendant with 621 days already served behind bars.
Crash and arrest timeline
The deadly collision unfolded in the early hours of Sept. 21, 2024, near 16th Street and Camelback Road. Investigators say a southbound pickup truck ran a red light and slammed into Mares' vehicle, leaving him with fatal injuries.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, the driver initially took off from the scene. He later called 911 and turned himself in the next day, and detectives booked him on manslaughter and leaving-the-scene charges.
Guilty plea and sentence
In court, the driver was identified as 24-year-old Travis Walker Smith. He pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with death or injury. For that, he received a 15-year prison term followed by four years of supervised probation, as reported by KOLD.
Family remembers Mares
The sentencing hearing was emotional, with Mares' family making it clear that no prison term could balance their loss.
"There really is no justice because my son Dillon is gone," his mother, Brittany Lockwood, told the court, according to KOLD.
Mares grew up in Tucson and played football at Palo Verde before transferring to Cienega High School. Friends remembered him as an avid runner and a relentless presence on the field, nicknaming him "Nightmare."
Sentence in local context
The case lands in the middle of a broader push by prosecutors to seek lengthy prison terms in deadly driving incidents.
In January, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced a 12-year sentence in a separate fatal hit-and-run case that investigators said involved speeds over 110 miles per hour. In that case, prosecutors stressed the extreme danger of high-speed, impaired driving and argued that such behavior is a conscious choice, not an unavoidable accident, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Legal note
Under Arizona law, manslaughter is defined in A.R.S. § 13-1103 and is classified as a Class 2 felony. That category can carry multi-year prison terms, depending on aggravating and mitigating factors, according to FindLaw. It is that statutory framework that allows courts to impose long sentences in deaths tied to reckless driving.
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