Jordan Alexander Barson Sentenced in Crash That Killed 5 Cyclists

Arizona man gets 16 years in horrific Nevada crash
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 10, 2021 12:02 AM CDT
Truck Driver Who Killed 5 Cyclists Is Sentenced
This Mohave County Jail booking photo shows Jordan Alexander Barson, of Kingman, Ariz., following his arrest Dec. 16, 2020.   (Mohave County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

An Arizona box truck driver who plowed into bicyclists on a stretch of Nevada highway last December, killing five and injuring four, was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 16 years in Nevada state prison for driving under the influence of methamphetamine causing death, the AP reports. Jordan Alexander Barson, 45, of Kingman, Arizona, apologized Tuesday, during the first day of an emotional two-day sentencing hearing in Las Vegas, asking forgiveness as he spoke by video from the Clark County Detention Center, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. His attorney, Damian Sheets, said Barson did not intend to cause harm. “Knowing I caused the deaths of five people and severely hurt two others is unbearable most of the time,” Barson told the court. “I want you to know that I’m so truly sorry for what I’ve done. I know you will carry this pain forever, and it breaks my heart that I caused this.”

Clark County District Court Judge Bita Yeager on Wednesday acknowledged Barson’s remorse but stuck with the sentence agreed upon when he pleaded guilty in April to two counts of driving under the influence resulting in death. “You had no business driving,” Yeager told him. The judge paused, near tears, spoke the names of the five bicyclists and cited the effect of their deaths had on “mothers, fathers, siblings, spouses, children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.” Killed were Las Vegas residents Erin Michelle Ray, 39; Gerrard Suarez Nieva, 41; Michael Todd Murray, 57; Aksoy Ahmet, 48; and Thomas Chamberlin Trauger, 57. Bicyclists Jose Vasquez and Jerome Ducrocq were seriously injured. The judge also ordered Barson to pay nearly $60,000 in restitution to victims. Barson's plea deal avoided trial on 14 felony charges that could have kept him behind bars for the rest of his life if he was convicted.

(More Nevada stories.)

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