Man accused in fatal DUI accident sentenced to 9-25 years in prison

A 26-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to nine to 25 years in prison for a 2019 fatal DUI crash that left two people dead.

Aaron Kruse pleaded guilty in October to two counts of driving under the influence resulting in death for the fiery crash that killed 45-year-old Norma Rosario Ortiz and 49-year-old Alfonso Bueno Toxqui.

“The victims died a very horrific and violent death as a result of speed, alcohol and marijuana, as we see more and more often in this community,” prosecutor Chad Lexis said during Kruse’s sentencing hearing.

Kruse was one of at least five people who had been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a DUI crash before a Supreme Court order in September 2020 prevented prosecutors from pursuing the charges.

On Nov. 9, 2019, Kruse was driving a 2019 Ford Mustang on Boulder Highway, near Flamingo Road, at nearly 115 mph when he slammed into the rear of a 2006 Toyota Corolla, which burst into flames, officials have said. Ortiz and Toxqui could not be pulled from the car because of the fire.

Kruse was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center after the crash. An officer who spoke with Kruse noted that his eyes were “extremely red,” and he had a strong odor of alcohol, the report said.

In addition to the prison time, District Judge Tierra Jones on Tuesday ordered Kruse to pay $4,950 in restitution.

Kruse apologized to the victims’ families, and said his actions were “foolish and childish.” His defense attorney, David Westbrook, said while Kruse is in prison, he wants to speak to younger people about the dangers of driving under the influence.

“We hope that we can take steps to actually address it, address the underlying problem, instead of just punishing the after effects of this underlying problem,” Westbook said.

Ortiz and Toxqui, who were friends and roommates, were badly burned in the crash, Lexis said. Ortiz’s daughter, Mirka Manzanares, told the judge that it took days for the Clark County coroner’s office to be able to identify her mother.

”The only way we knew that it was her was because of the tattoos that she had on her legs, and even those were hard to see from all the burn scars,” she said.

Manzanares said she barely slept after her mother’s death. Even now, when she can sleep, she suffers from nightmares of what she imagined the crash must have looked like.

“I’ll forever wish for one more day with my mom, but unfortunately now I only get to see her in my dreams,” she said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.