Inset: Edgar Banuelos (Monterey County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The rural road where Banuelos allegedly crashed his car and killed his son in Monterey County, Calif. (Google Maps).
A California man is behind bars after excessive speeding led to a fiery auto crash that killed his teenage son, Golden State police say.
Edgar Banuelos, 37, stands accused of one count each of murder in the second degree and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as three counts of child abuse for endangering a child under circumstances likely to produce great bodily injury. The crash took the life of 16-year-old Edgar Jeremiah Banuelos-Gonzalez, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The underlying incident occurred on the night of April 3, along Meridian Road just east of Revilla Drive in an unincorporated area of Monterey County, located some 20 miles northeast of the city of Monterey, according to the California Highway Patrol.
On Monday, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office filed formal charges against the defendant by way of a criminal complaint.
On Wednesday, the defendant appeared before a judge where prosecutors revealed new details in the case, according to a courtroom report by Salinas-based NBC and ABC affiliate KSBW.
“We take that extraordinarily seriously,” Monterey County Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon said in an apparent reference to the drunk-driving allegations. “When you combine that with driving at this speed in a residential area, it constitutes murder.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty during the hearing, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Law enforcement claim Banuelos was driving westbound around 8 p.m., going 100 mph in a 25 mph zone, when he lost control of his Volkswagen sedan, veered off the road, and slammed into a tree.
Upon impact, the car burst into flames, authorities said.
“The car was going so fast, it became airborne over a small hill,” Brannon added. “He had three children in the car, three of his children. And he had alcohol in his system. And one of the kids, the 16-year-old, ended up burning in the car.”
The deceased teenager’s brothers, a 14-year-old and a 7-year-old, survived the crash and were treated at a hospital in San Jose with moderate injuries, according to the highway patrol. The defendant, for his part, suffered major injuries.
“This isn’t a story about, you know, driving under the influence, even,” the prosecutor continued. “This is a story about just a willful and wanton disregard for human life. He was very close to his house. I mean, this was totally unnecessary.”
The children’s mother has responded to the tragic news with calls for forgiveness, love and understanding.
“We don’t have room for hate in our heart,” Jessica Gonzalez previously told KSBW. “Just love and peace. I ask the community to please don’t have anger toward anyone. Toward his dad. Let’s forgive.”
Now, the grieving mother is expressing consternation at the state for the severity of the charges leveled against Banuelos.
“Honestly, like it breaks my heart to see that they’re charging him with murder,” she recently told the TV station. “Honestly, Edgar has always been there for his kids.”
In another prior interview, Gonzalez remembered her deceased child fondly, telling KSBW he was an athlete with whom she shared a special bond and spent a great deal of time with.
“I want to make sure that everyone knows how grateful me and my family and my kids are,” she said. “My baby boy Edgar. Was a really, really great kid. Who always brought a smile to everyone. No matter how upset they were, he always tried to be silly.”
The defendant is detained in the Monterey County Jail on $1.4 million bail. He is next slated to appear in court on May 6.
