23-year-old man found guilty of murder in DUI crash that killed young Long Beach family
By KCAL/KCBS Staff
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LONG BEACH (KCAL, KCBS) — Carlo Adrian Navarro, accused of driving drunk on Halloween night in 2019 and running down a Long Beach couple and their 3-year-old son, has been convicted.
The now 23-year-old was found guilty on three counts each of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
It only took jurors two hours of deliberation before finding Navarro guilty for the deaths of 30-year-old Joseph Awaida, 32-year-old Raihan Dakhil Awaida, and their son, Omar.
The family was struck just before 10 p.m. Oct. 31, 2019, near Country Club Drive and Los Cerritos Park Place. Joseph died that night, while Omar died on Nov. 2 and his mother on the following day.
At the time, the 20-year-old was driving southbound on Country Club Drive in a 2002 Toyota Sequoia when he failed to make a turn, according to Long Beach Police. Navarro instead drove onto the sidewalk and struck the family as they walked homed after night of trick-or-treating, authorities said.
He was taken into custody at the scene and later released on $100,000 bail, though was arrested the following week on an unrelated burglary case.
After the verdict, Joseph Awaida’s mother and Omar’s grandmother, Vera stated that she was “very satisfied” with the verdict, calling it the “best possible outcome that could have happened,” but added, “It’s not really justice because they’re not back.”
Navarro faces as much as 45 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced on Sept. 15.
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