PRESCOTT, Ariz. — In 2020, Jonathan Floyd, 44, struck a van carrying a family of seven, killing two of the children. He was recently sentenced to 58 years in prison by the Yavapai County Superior Court.
According to a court release, Floyd was driving southbound from the Las Vegas area in the early morning of Oct. 3, 2020.
Near milepost 175 of of Highway 93, Floyd swerved over the center line of the highway into the northbound lanes where his car struck a commercial vehicle. Floyd then crashed into a family van carrying a married couple and their five children.
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"[...] The family learned the left side of the van had been destroyed, instantly killing two of the five children and injuring the other members of the family," said Deputy Yavapai County Attorney Kristen Sharifi.
Following an investigation by the Arizona Department of Safety, blood tests determined that Floyd had been impaired from a combination of alcohol and medications at the time of the crash.
Floyd was found guilty by a Yavapai County jury on two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of endangerment, and one count of criminal damage in late October.
On Dec. 5, 2022, the Yavapai County Superior Court sentenced Floyd to a total of 58 years in the Arizona State Prison.
“This lengthy prison sentence should send a strong message to impaired drivers, and I hope it brings some measure of closure to the family who suffered this unthinkable tragedy,” said Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk.
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