Juan Gandara-Rodel-photo Sedgwick County
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has pleaded guilty in a drunken driving crash that killed three people and injured two others.
The Wichita Eagle reports that 32-year-old Juan Pablo Gandara-Rodela was three days away from going on trial when he pleaded guilty last week to second-degree reckless murder in the July 2014 deaths. The hit-and-run crash killed Zachary Taylor and Jake Hallacy, both 26 and of Valley Center, and 21-year-old Emily Phillips of McPherson.
Gandara-Rodela also admitted to leaving the scene of an accident and aggravated battery. Police have said Gandara-Rodela had been at a bar before running a red light in a sport utility vehicle and slamming into the side of a car. He has a history of DUI and traffic convictions.
Sentencing is set for March 23.