A Spartanburg man pleaded guilty Monday to driving under the influence and killing two boys who were riding bicycles on the sidewalk along Asheville Highway, ending a case that has haunted the community since April. Eri Otoniel Roberto Perez was sentenced to a combined 40 years in prison and ordered to pay $20,000 in fines for the deaths of 12-year-old Dereon James Robins and 9-year-old Mikhail-Lee Smith.
According to WSPA 7News, Perez entered guilty pleas to all charges stemming from the crash, including driving under the influence resulting in death, driving without a license, and driving with an open container of alcohol. The station reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer for Perez, with the agency claiming he illegally immigrated from Mexico to Spartanburg County, though it did not provide proof of that claim.
The crash happened around 12:20 p.m. on April 12, 2026, near the intersection of Asheville Highway and Brock Street, roughly three miles west of Spartanburg, as the boys rode bicycles eastbound on the sidewalk, according to WLTX. The outlet reported that both boys were rushed to Spartanburg Medical Center, where Dereon was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. and Mikhail-Lee was pronounced dead five minutes later, at 1:31 p.m., per the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office.
Mother Was Walking Behind Her Son When Car Struck
During Perez's bond hearing on April 13, 2026, Seventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette told the court that state troopers found Perez so severely intoxicated he could not stand unassisted or complete field sobriety tests, and that Perez later admitted to heavy weekend drinking before the crash, Fox News reported. Megan Wilson, Dereon's mother, was present when Perez's vehicle nearly hit her before striking the children.
A passenger in Perez's car fled the crash scene.
Statutory Penalties and a County's Grim Record
Perez was arrested the day after the crash. Under South Carolina Code § 56-5-2945, felony DUI resulting in death carries a mandatory prison sentence of one to 25 years and mandatory fines ranging from $10,100 to $25,100 per fatality — a framework Hoodline previously outlined. Perez's combined 40-year sentence was accompanied by $20,000 in fines, below the $20,200 minimum for two fatalities.
The deaths of Dereon and Mikhail-Lee add to a troubling pattern in Spartanburg County, which recorded 73 preliminary traffic fatalities in 2025, leading all South Carolina counties for total road deaths that year. The county also has high traffic volumes, and most collisions occurred on I-85 and U.S. 29.
A Statewide Problem for Cyclists and Pedestrians
The crash also reflects a broader traffic-safety concern across South Carolina. Smart Growth America's “Dangerous by Design 2026” report ranked South Carolina fourth overall among the most dangerous states for pedestrians and other non-motorists. The Floyd Law Firm, citing a TRIP report, says pedestrian and bicyclist deaths accounted for 21% of all traffic fatalities nationally in 2025.
In response to the rising death toll, the South Carolina Department of Transportation launched a dedicated Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan, and lawmakers enacted Act 173 on May 18, 2026, updating statewide bicycle safety rules to let cyclists treat stop signs as yields under specific controlled circumstances. The law came just weeks after the crash that killed Dereon and Mikhail-Lee.
Spartanburg has seen other non-motorist tragedies play out in recent months. Hoodline has reported on a hit-and-run that critically injured a unicyclist on a Spartanburg road. A passenger fled the scene, and ICE has filed a detainer for Perez.
