CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The teenage driver in a multiple-fatality crash in Cherokee County entered a non-negotiated plea deal, meaning sentencing was left up to a judge.
He was sentenced on Sept. 25.
Oliver Luis Roman was 17 in January 2024 when he was driving more than 90 mph in a 40 mph zone with four passengers, all of whom were teenagers.
According to officials, Gabriel Escandon, Esteban Cortez-Rendon, Alejandro Trejo, a close friend of Cortez-Rendon visiting from Oklahoma, and Christopher Peixoto were in the car when it crashed into a tree in the center median, after Roman lost control of the vehicle.
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The aftermath of the crash left Escandon and Cortez-Rendon dead. Cortez-Rendon had just turned 18 that day. The victims were injured as the group left a birthday celebration with family for additional festivities when they were hit.
In an emotional statement, Peixoto, who was seriously injured in the crash, shared how the incident had deeply affected his life.
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Peixoto was a soccer player and student at Lassiter High School.
He said in his statement to the court that before the crash, he was a healthy and independent 17-year-old chasing the dream of being a professional soccer player since he was six.
“I remember staying after practices to keep training. I was proud to have committed to Young Harris College to continue my soccer journey and my education. My future was bright. I was ready for the next chapter,” Peixoto said in the statement, which was shared with Channel 2 Action News by the District Attorney’s office. “But that brightness didn’t last.”
According to Peixoto, he lost his best friend, as well as his future in sports, having been severely injured and put in a coma for more than a month, even missing his own birthday.
Peixoto said he had to undergo multiple surgeries, including on his jaw, femur and nerves, as well as receive a tracheotomy. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to “relearn how to walk, how to talk, how to use the bathroom and even how to remember basic things.”
The recovery process meant he missed his senior year of high school and his own graduation, Peixoto said.
“My life is on pause while everyone else gets to move forward,” Peixoto told the court, in part. “Since the date of the accident 20 months ago, I’ve been fighting to recover, to regain everything I have lost. The defendant is living a normal life. He even was allowed to travel out of the country. He has shown no remorse. He has had no real consequences.”
The Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office said Roman, who was sentenced on Sept. 25, received a 20-year sentence, with the first 12 months in jail for the crash.
He entered a non-negotiated plea for two counts of homicide by vehicle, three counts of serious injury by vehicle and a single count of reckless driving.
In addition to a year in adult detention in Cherokee County, Roman will also have to pay restitution, cannot contact the victims or their families, must surrender his driver’s license and has to complete 240 hours of community service.
“The consequences of driving recklessly are tragic and permanent, and they ripple through families, friends, and entire communities,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a statement. “These were good young men with so much promise and potential. To the victims and their families: I want you to know that we see your pain and carry your stories with us forever.”
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