A Phoenix man has been ordered to spend eight years in state prison for a fatal DUI crash on Interstate 10 in April 2024 that killed a 24-year-old. Investigators concluded that 29-year-old Ukel Mario Celbirio was impaired at the time of the collision, according to state officials.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the wreck happened on April 14, 2024, on I-10 near milepost 136 in Phoenix. Twenty-four-year-old Rafael Angel Garrido Lago was pronounced dead at a Phoenix hospital, and a second victim, 23, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
AZDPS said its Vehicular Crimes Unit’s investigation, which included witness interviews, scene evidence, vehicle examinations, body-worn camera footage, crash-data retrieval and laboratory testing, established that Celbirio was impaired and led to manslaughter charges and a June 25 sentencing. According to Arizona Department of Public Safety, Celbirio was impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision.
Statewide toll from impaired driving
The case lands in the middle of a broader pattern of deadly, alcohol-related crashes across Arizona. ADOT's 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report counted 1,228 traffic fatalities statewide in 2024 and identified roughly 347 deaths tied to alcohol impairment, highlighting how impaired and speeding drivers continue to fuel freeway deaths in the Valley. See Arizona Department of Transportation for the annual report.
Investigation details and legal context
AZDPS credited its Vehicular Crimes Unit with developing the evidence prosecutors used to secure the manslaughter conviction and the eight-year prison term. Under Arizona law, manslaughter is classified as a class 2 felony, a designation that carries substantial prison exposure and allows judges to set terms within statutory ranges; see Arizona Revised Statutes §13-1103 for the statute.
The AZDPS release did not specify whether the sentence followed a plea deal or a trial. Court records and filings are expected to provide additional procedural details as the case moves through the system.
