Serial drunk driver convicted of killing five in head-on crash

An Oregon man with a history of drunken driving charges was convicted Monday of killing a mother and four young children after he plowed head-on into their car.

Favian Garcia, 28, was found guilty on five counts of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants and other charges stemming from the October 2017 crash near Salem, Ore.

A Marion County judge issued the verdict after Garcia waived his right to a jury trial last week, opting instead to appear before the bench. The defendant had rejected a plea deal in court earlier this year, a last-minute maneuver that stunned many who attended the June hearing.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 2, records show.

Garcia was driving on Highway 99E north of Salem on Oct. 7, 2017 when his Land Rover slammed head-on into a Buick Century driven by Lisette Medrano-Perez of Molalla around 4:30 p.m., police said.

The 25-year-old mother was in the car with her three children — 8-year-old Ricardo Contreras-Medrano, 6-year-old Andrus Contreras-Medrano, 4-year-old Dajanara Medrano-Perez — as well as her 2-year-old niece, Angelina Vazquez-Crisp.

All five died at the scene.

Garcia, who had a suspended driver’s license, had denied drinking that day and told police he was simply “hung over,” court records show. Tests later showed his blood-alcohol level to be more than four times the legal limit, according to court records. He also had methamphetamine in his system.

Court records show Garcia was convicted of driving under the influence of intoxicants in 2011 and convicted of the same crime again months before the fatal crash. Police said the Gervais man had multiple outstanding warrants when he was detained.