An Oklahoma County jury has convicted a man of second-degree murder for a drunk, wrong-way crash that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Damien Stevenson, 47, was found guilty on all counts Friday, nearly two years after he drove the wrong way onto Lake Hefner Parkway and slammed head-on into Maria Ganchozo's car.
Investigators say that on Nov. 2, 2024, Stevenson entered Lake Hefner Parkway driving southbound on a northbound exit ramp, according to KOKH. Authorities say Ganchozo was driving northbound when Stevenson's vehicle hit hers head-on. Ganchozo, who was pregnant at the time, was rushed to the hospital, where she later died.
Investigators say Stevenson's blood alcohol concentration measured 0.324, nearly four times the legal limit. That level of impairment became central to the case prosecutors built against him, which ultimately led to convictions on every charge he faced.
Charges Spanned Murder to DUI With Great Bodily Injury
Stevenson was charged with two counts of second-degree murder tied to the deaths of Ganchozo and her unborn child. He also faced two counts of causing an accident while driving without a valid license resulting in death, along with charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence resulting in great bodily injury, child endangerment, and causing an accident while driving without a valid license resulting in great bodily injury, the station's report states.
On Friday, the jury recommended life sentences for the second-degree murder charges and 85 years in prison for the remaining counts. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15, when a judge will determine how those recommendations translate into Stevenson's actual punishment.
A Rare but Deadly Pattern on Oklahoma Roads
Wrong-way crashes like the one that killed Ganchozo remain uncommon but devastating. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says the state sees up to 70,000 collisions a year, and wrong-way crashes account for less than 1% of them — but they are often catastrophic, according to KOCO. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office recorded 24 deaths from wrong-way crashes on state roads in 2019 alone, per KOKH's separate reporting on the trend.
National data cited by AAA shows more than 2,000 people died in wrong-way crashes across the country between 2015 and 2018, a 34% jump over the prior four-year span. AAA also found that 60% of wrong-way crashes involved an impaired driver, and nearly 87% of wrong-way drivers were alone in their vehicle when the crash happened. Alcohol impairment, older age, and driving without a passenger were all identified as factors that raise the risk.
Lawmakers Eye Detection Technology
Oklahoma Highway Patrol has noted that many wrong-way driver calls come in between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., and state lawmakers are now exploring technology meant to catch wrong-way drivers before they cause a crash. Some states already use thermal cameras or radar systems that detect vehicles entering exit ramps in the wrong direction and trigger large flashing wrong-way signs, KOCO reports. The advocacy group Victims of Impaired Drivers is pushing lawmakers to fund resources for first responders and launch pilot programs testing that kind of detection technology on Oklahoma highways.
