Leonardo Rodriguez, a resident of Pico Rivera, received a sentence of five years and four months in state prison. His role in a 2024 car crash on U.S. 101 in Newbury Park that led to two fatalities resulted in this sentencing. The crash involved Rodriguez’s black Honda Accord, which he drove at speeds reaching 124 miles per hour.
The tragic incident occurred early on October 31, 2024, as Rodriguez was driving southbound near Thousand Oaks. Attempting to pass a vehicle in the slow lane by using the road shoulder, he collided with a tractor-trailer parked there. This collision led to the deaths of his girlfriend, Serenity Rizkalla, and a friend, Michael Estrella, who were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodriguez himself, along with another friend in the vehicle, sustained minor injuries from the crash. At a court proceeding, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, which was concluded in June.
Deputy District Attorney George Brietigam noted the preventable nature of this tragedy and expressed hope that the sentencing might offer some closure to the victims’ families.
The Ventura County district attorney’s office released a statement emphasizing the sequence of events leading up to the crash. Rodriguez’s reckless driving conduct led to the severe consequences experienced by all involved.
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