Driver Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Crash That Killed 2 Teens

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Howard County man has pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter related to a 2023 crash that killed two Montgomery County teens, a report said.

Jean Pierre Velasco, 21, of Elkridge, on Tuesday entered a plea agreement in Montgomery County Circuit Court and faces a maximum of eight years in prison, Bethesda Today reported. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 7.

Velasco was initially indicted on two counts of negligent manslaughter by vehicle, two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence of alcohol per se.

On March 4, 2023, a 2012 Infiniti G37 driven by Velasco crashed into a utility pole on Montrose Road at the intersection of Hitching Post Lane in Rockville, according to Montgomery County Police. The car had four occupants in it.

Velasco lost control of the Infiniti, which struck the center median, left the roadway, hit a fire hydrant, electrical control box and several other objects, before crashing into the utility pole, police said.

Leslie Kristin Ventura, 19, of Germantown was pronounced dead at the scene. A second passenger, Kailey Briana Vigil, 19, of Rockville, was taken to an area hospital, where she died from her injuries on March 6, 2023.