LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A possible plea deal in a Las Vegas crash that killed a 12-year-old boy is raising broader questions about justice in fatal DUI and reckless driving cases in the valley.
Victims' families often expect long prison sentences, but prosecutors say plea agreements are sometimes the only way to guarantee a conviction.
Alyssa Bethencourt hears from Martina Suarez about the possible plea deal for the driver accused of killing her son:
When someone is killed by an impaired or reckless driver, the criminal case that follows moves through a system built largely on plea negotiations. For some families, that brings certainty. For others, it brings frustration.
"Right now people don't care… they could get four years, they're probably gonna get out in two," said Martina Suarez.
When asked if she's serving a life sentence, Suarez responded: "Exactly. This ruined my whole life and he's gonna get out and he's still going to be young."
For Martina Suarez, the court process has been almost as painful as the loss itself. Her 12-year-old son, Cristofer, was killed while walking to school, and now, the man accused in the crash is expected to plead guilty as part of a deal.
Prosecutors say Oh'Ryan Brooks was under the influence and left the scene after hitting Cristofer in October. He faces multiple felony charges, including DUI resulting in death.
But his attorney says he plans to plead guilty to leaving the scene of a crash. It's the lesser of the three felony charges. It carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in prison, with parole eligibility possibly much sooner.
For Martina, that possibility feels devastating.
"It's disgusting… this is somebody that was trying to get to school," Suarez said.
Cristofer's case is not the only fatal DUI case to end in a plea agreement. High-profile cases, including the one against former Raiders player Henry Ruggs and the crash that killed Arbor View student McKenzie Scott, also ended in negotiated plea deals.
Each brought prison time, but also renewed debate about whether Nevada's penalties go far enough.
In an interview with 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said plea deals eliminate the risk of trial errors and appeals.
"We have to plea bargain 99% of the cases… that's the reality," Wolfson said.
I asked the District Attorney's Office how often fatal DUI cases end in plea deals and what sentences are typically served. They didn't answer those questions, instead saying DA Wolfson would discuss it in the near future.
According to Nevada Department of Transportation data, Las Vegas leads the state in alcohol-related crashes, with more than 8,000 crashes — 197 of them deadly — between 2018 and 2023. Drunk driving crashes increased more than 35% during that time.
For Sandy Heverly, this issue is personal. Years ago, a driver under the influence with two prior DUIs seriously injured her family of seven, a crash that later led to her mother's death. She's been advocating for stronger DUI laws ever since.
"Unfortunately, you run into certain people who have a mindset that this is just an accident and it's not an accident," Heverly said. "I will tell you this… sorry is not in our vocabulary because there is nothing that could be said or done that would ever ever change what happened and the victims, they've already received a life sentence."
Since Cristofer's death, the city has ordered improvements near his school, with a traffic signal planned for 2026. But for his mother, accountability inside the courtroom matters just as much.
"For me to eventually be able to grieve my son correctly… I need to know that I did everything that I could," Suarez said. "Drink until you die… just don't get behind the wheel."
