PHOENIX — What was supposed to be a day to celebrate Mother’s Day, turned into tragedy for the Boteilho family.
Their 13-year-old son, Josiah, was killed when an alleged drunk driver drove the wrong way and hit the car the family of seven was riding in near 30th Street and Greenway Road on Sunday.
“I wish it’d had a different ending, but to have lost him, that’s what breaks the heart,” said Josiah’s father, Frank.
A life gone too soon
The family was on their way to St Joan of Arc Catholic Church. They were on their usual route, but they were hit a mile away from arriving.
After the impact, Frank’s second oldest son told him Josiah, or Siah as they lovingly called him, needed help. The two oldest were sitting in the back seat.
“I crawled to the back of the car and tried my best to perform first aid and stop the bleed,” the father said. “I tried my best to help my son.”
As he aided Josiah, his second-oldest son, “was a hero that day,” after he helped his three younger siblings by getting them safely out of the car and “made sure the door was open for the firefighters, so they got to his brother that needed the most help,” Frank said.
His wife, a front-seat passenger, was pinned down. Although she couldn’t see Frank aiding Siah, she spoke to him.
“Unfortunately, maybe the last words he heard from his mom,” the father said. “She said that she loved him. That she was here for him. That she wanted him to hold on. I had the same words for him as well.”
Frank also told his son how proud he was of him, that he had been a great hiapo—known in his Hawaiian culture as the leader and protector of his siblings after being the firstborn.
“A hiapo usually is the one that makes sure that all the younger siblings stay in line, follow the expectations of mom and dad, and that of the family, and bring honor to the family, which of course Josiah did,” the father said.
“I did see him take a few breaths, so I’m pretty positive that he did hear us,” Frank said. “The firefighters took over. They tried to search for a pulse, but there was not one.”
Josiah was taken to a hospital, but doctors could not save him.
His mother suffered severe injuries. She has been moved out of the ICU but remains hospitalized.
The other children suffered bruises and scrapes. One had a fractured nose and another one had lacerations from the seatbelt.
Wrong-way crash
It was around 8 a.m. when the Boteilho’s family car was allegedly struck by 36-year-old Bartolome Godinez-Perez on Sunday, Phoenix police said.
Perez is accused of driving his pickup truck south on 31st Street when he failed to stop at a stop sign on Greenway Road.
Police say he entered eastbound lanes while driving west and hit the Boteilho family.
“In his state of being, he blamed me for hitting him,” Frank said the suspect told him right after the crash. “He was not there for any care of my family whatsoever.”
Court documents say Perez “exhibited bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol, and poor balance.” Officers allegedly attempted a sobriety test but could not get Pere to follow orders.
Officers attempted to administer a preliminary breath test, but “it appears as though Godinez-Perez continually attempted to defeat the test by manipulating the mouthpiece or his breath,” records said.
A second breathalyzer test was performed and returned a reading of 0.256, documents said.
During a post-Miranda interview, Godinez-Perez allegedly admitted to drinking three Modelo brand beers and four White Claw Seltzers. However, he claimed he did not know the White Claw contained alcohol.
Perez was booked for manslaughter, endangerment, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
In 2010, he was convicted of aggravated DUI. When he was arrested on Sunday, he had an outstanding warrant.
He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond.
Honoring Siah
“[Josiah] loved just being people, being a good friend,” said Frank about his 13-year-old son.
Siah was an 8th grader at Shea Middle School. He loved basketball and wrestling, sports he played as part of his district’s after-school sports program.
“He was always a fan of his own basketball skills and to show them off,” the father said. “Many of his friends have reached out to us; they knew he loved them.”
On Saturday, a day before his tragic death, Josiah won first place at a wrestling tournament in his weight division.
“He was happy, but we were all so happy and proud of him,” Frank said. “The last three days were the best three days I could have asked for, spending great father-and-son time.”
The Boteilho family would like Siah to be remembered for his compassion. They hope their story and suffering will make others think twice before drinking and driving.
“As he would always say, just make sure you’re treating people with kindness,” Frank said. “No doubt he is a model, young man, teenager, and a Hawaiian.”
Friends and family created a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses, you can donate here.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'Ojalá hubiera tenido un final diferente': Habla el padre de un niño de 13 años que murió en un choque por un conductor que iba en sentido contrario
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