Rexburg man signs plea deal in fatal crash that killed six; state recommends 30-year sentence
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IDAHO FALLS — A Rexburg man who was charged after the fatal drunk driving crash that killed six individuals in May 2024 accepted a plea agreement on May 7.
Luis Garcia-Diaz, 27, was initially charged with six felony counts of vehicular manslaughter but was amended in November to include four new charges. The four new felony charges were for driving under the influence and causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement.
With Garcia-Diaz accepting the plea agreement, the state agrees to dismiss all of the charges in exchange for a guilty plea on two of the vehicular manslaughter charges. The agreement is non-binding, so the judge doesn’t have to accept the deal.
The state recommends a sentence of six years fixed and nine years indeterminate for each count, for a total of 30 years, with 12 years fixed and 18 years indeterminate. Garcia-Diaz’s attorneys are free to argue for a different sentence.
According to court documents, the agreement was reached through mediation, but “no alleged victim or victim’s family participated.”
The possible punishment for those charged with vehicular manslaughter is up to 15 years in prison.
The incident occurred on May 18, 2024, on U.S. Highway 20 near Lindsay Boulevard exit in Idaho Falls.
According to court documents, Garcia-Diaz was driving in a Dodge Ram heading east when he “drove over the center of the highway and entered the westbound lanes, and collided head-on with a 2016 Chevrolet Express van, carrying 14 people.
A report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico confirmed that the van’s passengers were all agricultural workers from Mexico with H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker visas.
The documents go on to state that the driver of the van and five of the passengers sustained fatal injuries on the scene. Nine others were transported to local hospitals.
Former Bonneville County Coroner Rick Taylor identified the deceased as Abel Mejía Martínez, 43, Pedro Manuel Alcantar Mejía, 26, Brandon Ponce Gallegos, 24, Jose Guadalupe Sánchez Medina, 20, Luis Enrique Sereno Perez, 32 and Javier Gomez Alcantar, 36.
Garcia-Diaz was injured in the crash and taken to Idaho Falls Community Hospital.
The document states that a search warrant for Garcia-Diaz’s medical records was obtained, and a toxicology exam was conducted the morning of the crash. It states that Garcia-Diaz’s blood alcohol level was at 0.192%. The legal limit is 0.08%.
Garcia-Diaz is scheduled to appear for a change of plea before District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. at 9 a.m. June 10.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported that in Luis Garcia-Diaz’s plea agreement, the state recommended a sentence of six years fixed and nine years indeterminate. That recommendation was actually for each manslaughter charge. The story has been updated with the correct information.