Almost a year and a half after his performance at the wheel of his sports car ended the lives of three people, Oscar Benjumea has met his fate.
The justice sentenced Benjumea to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless driving resulting in death, as well as failing to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in death.
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Following his conviction, Benjumea will face a 10-year driving ban.
Benjumea was the sole survivor of the single-vehicle crash on the Calgary Trail north of 51st Avenue in July 2020.
The court heard that he drove his Audi at 186 km/h in a 60 km/h zone before crashing into a Starbucks.
The violent accident claimed the lives of three passengers: Emma MacArthur, Georgia Donovan and Faisal Yousef.
At her sentencing hearing in December 2021, Benjumea, now 27, said it was “excruciatingly painful to know that I can’t go back and change what happened.”
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In an agreed statement of facts, the court heard that Benjumea asked the Good Samaritans who responded to the scene immediately after the crash if they had a gun and would shoot him, repeating, “I’m done” over and over again. .
He then fled the scene as strangers tried to help his passengers.
Benjumea was arrested by police 10 hours later, and officers found bloody plastic bags containing money and personal identification documents in his vehicle.
At the time of the accident, Benjumea was banned from driving after being convicted of refusing to blow in another incident.
The court also heard that Benjumea had been to seven bars or clubs on the night of the accident and had drunk at least six ounces of alcohol.
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One of the victims, Yousef, was a friend of Benjumea. The couple had just met the two female victims, MacArthur and Donovan, earlier in the evening at the Spotlight Lounge on Whyte Avenue.
Fifty-one victim impact statements, which describe the severity of the loss felt by family and friends of victims, were read to the court.
The lawyers in the case had been widely separated in their sentencing submissions, with the Crown seeking a 13-year prison sentence followed by a 10-year driving ban. The defense had asked for five to seven years in prison, followed by a five-year driving ban.
Benjumea will receive 2.3 years of credit for time served, plus an additional 101.5 days due to COVID protocols that keep inmates locked down for 22 hours a day.
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