Woman charged in drunk driving crash that left 5-year-old girl dead


SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A 25-year-old woman is facing more than 10 charges in connection to a drunk driving crash in Kearns where she slammed into a family’s car, injuring one young child and leaving another dead.

Charmayne Huerta-Guzman, of Kearns, was charged with second-degree felony manslaughter, second-degree felony negligent operation of a vehicle resulting in death, and third-degree felony negligent operation of a vehicle resulting in injury, according to court documents filed Thursday in 3rd District Court.

‘My little girl is going to be gone’: Family reeling after crash with drunk driver

She is also facing several misdemeanors and infractions, including reckless driving, driving on a denied license, negligent driving, speeding, unlawful passing, no evidence of security, and duty to operate a vehicle on the side of the roadway.

According to investigators, the crash happened around 1 p.m. on Jan. 14 at 4775 South West Sam’s Boulevard in Kearns. Huerta-Guzman was going about 77 mph in a 35 mph zone when she passed another vehicle on a blind corner and slammed head-on into an on-coming Volkswagen.

Inside the Volkswagen were 32-year-old Semir Lilic, a single father, and his two young children, ages 5 and 6. Emergency crews rushed Lilic and his 6-year-old son to a hospital, while a medical helicopter flew the youngest child, a girl named Lennyn, to a different hospital.

Lennyn suffered severe head wounds, including skull fractures and brain bleeds. She died days later after being taken off life support.

“If it was two seconds, maybe I could have done something different,” Lilic told ABC4 on Monday. “But [Huerta-Guzman] came so fast, I couldn’t do nothing for my children and me.”

Witnesses told the responding officers that a man in Huerta-Guzman’s car removed bottles of alcohol from the wrecked vehicle after the crash and hid them in the bushes of a nearby church.

When officers asked what Huerta-Guzman had been doing before the crash, Huerta-Guzman said “we were drinking and heading home,” the charging documents state. At the hospital, a preliminary blood test showed her blood alcohol content was 0.24.

According to investigators, Huerta-Guzman had a denied driver’s license at the time of the crash and had no valid insurance.

Huerta-Guzman is being held without bail. Her next court appearance is slated for Feb. 6, court documents show.

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