ESCONDIDO — A man who drove drunk and crashed into another vehicle in Escondido, killing a 13-year-old boy who was riding in his car, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years and eight months in state prison.
Alexander Tito Oroz, 22, pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other charges for the April 27, 2024, crash that killed Rodrigo Tapia Jr. The nearly 13-year prison term was stipulated by both sides prior to Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said Oroz was driving around 120 mph and ran a red light just before the crash at the intersection of North Broadway and Country Club Lane.
In addition to the manslaughter count, Oroz pleaded guilty to DUI causing injury and driving under the influence while under 21, as he was 20 at the time of the crash.
The victim, a student at Quantum Academy in Escondido, was the sibling of Oroz’s girlfriend. The boy’s sister was also in the car and was injured in the crash.
Dozens of the victim’s family members and friends attended the sentencing hearing in Vista, describing him as a straight-A student with big dreams that were cut short.
He was known affectionately as “Junior,” according to his mother, Norma Tapia, because he felt his full name “made him sound too old.”
Tapia said her son hoped to become a professional baseball player or serve in the Navy and that his kindness and selflessness earned him the admiration of family members, peers and teachers.
“Junior wasn’t just my son. He was my companion,” she said.
On the night of his death, Junior and his sister both urged Oroz to slow down, but “he ignored them,” his mother said.
The boy’s father, Rodrigo Tapia, said that upon learning of his son’s death, “I felt like the world fell apart because it was something I never expected in my life to hear.”
Ana Lopez, Junior’s sister, said her brother was always positive and ready to help others, no matter how busy he was.
“All we have now are just those beautiful memories (of him),” she said.
Lopez also read a letter from another of Junior’s sisters, Jasmine Tapia, who was in the car during the crash.
“I still can’t believe that he’s gone,” Tapia wrote. “I lost my brother and my best friend. I didn’t know what actual heartbreak felt like until that night.”
Jamie Russo, Junior’s teacher in both kindergarten and fourth grade, said the boy had “big dreams” and “big goals.”
“We all knew he was going to go on to do great things. I knew that he would someday really make a difference in people’s lives,” Russo said.
Oroz did not make a statement during the hearing and kept his gaze lowered throughout, including while a video was played in court featuring photos and video clips of the boy’s life, prompting Superior Court Judge Daniel Link to tell Oroz to look up and watch the video.
Link said the sentencing was one of many he has presided over in which he has seen “wonderful families and friends and communities be torn apart by the irresponsibility of one individual.” He added there is “truly an epidemic” of driving under the influence in San Diego County and nationwide.
Though he said there was “no right sentence” for what happened, Link said he hoped Oroz would use his time in prison to reflect and learn from what happened and “how to redeem yourself from this terrible moment.”
