SALT LAKE CITY — A man who police say caused a crash that killed a newlywed woman on Interstate 15 has been formally charged with several crimes, including homicide.
Manaure Gonzalez-Rea, 36, is charged with:
- Automobile Homicide Criminal Negligence DUI of Alcohol/Drugs - 2nd degree felony
- Failure to Remain at Accident Involving Serious Injury - 3rd degree felony
- Theft - 2nd degree felony
- Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs - Class A misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving - Class B misdemeanor
Gonzalez-Rea was being held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bond.
According to Utah Highway Patrol, Gonzalez-Rea was driving south in the northbound I-15 lanes near 2000 South when his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck hit a Toyota Corolla sedan head-on, taking the life of 26-year-old Angelica Gabrielle Jimenez Dhondup, who was on her way home from her wedding reception.
During the crash, Gonzalez-Rea's truck flipped and landed on its roof. A witness stopped to help him out of the vehicle. Gonzalez-Rea then stole that person's vehicle and fled the scene, but he was stopped by a UHP trooper a few miles away near the I-80 off-ramp at Redwood Road. He was taken into custody without further incident, according to the trooper.
The arresting trooper said Gonzalez-Rea had a clear odor of alcohol on his breath, and he admitted to drinking three beers right before the crash. The officer also reported observing multiple other signs of alcohol impairment.
A breathalyzer test came back positive for alcohol, according to court documents, and Gonzalez-Rea also submitted to a blood draw.
A photo from the scene also appears to show multiple cases and dozens of cans of beer strewn across the road after the crash.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Dhondup's family.
