The driver in a crash last year in Beaverton that killed two of his Southridge High School friends, critically injured two others in the car and sent a sheriff’s deputy to the hospital apologized Friday as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
“We lost two kings, two real friends, people I shared my dreams with,” Xavier Denzel Rodriguez said through tears in Washington County Circuit Court.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of driving under the influence.
Rodriguez, now 19, ran a red light and struck the patrol SUV of Washington County sheriff’s Deputy Mike Trotter at 99 mph on April 27, 2022, at Southwest Tualatin Valley Highway and Murray Boulevard.
The teen had a .18 blood alcohol level and was drinking a Four Loko, an alcoholic beverage, while driving, according to a statement from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
The impact caused seat belts to snap in Rodriguez’s Nissan Altima and sent the patrol car spinning with Trotter behind the wheel.
Matthew Amaya, 17, and Juan Pacheco Aguilera, 16, were killed. They were among four passengers in Rodriguez’s car.
Alma Navarro, Amaya’s mother, said Rodriguez was “a teenager who made a mistake.”
“I hold nothing against him, he was my son’s friend,” she said in court.
Pablo Pacheco, Aguilera’s father, said he hoped Rodriguez could reflect and ask God for forgiveness while he’s in prison.
“Our son is gone and this is due to the irresponsibility of people who sometimes think nothing of drinking and driving,” Pacheco said. “We can’t change the situation and that’s why there’s the law. When someone makes a mistake there are consequences.”
James Thompson and Sky Korbut, both 15, the other passengers in Rodriguez’s car, sustained severe injuries. Thompson suffered internal organ damage and broken ribs and Korbut underwent several surgeries for intestinal and spinal injuries.
In a statement after the sentencing, Trotter said Rodriguez’s sentence was “reasonable for the damage he caused.”
“A lot of people ask if me and my family forgive him,” Trotter said in an interview. “I don’t think that’s for me and my family to decide. That’s between him and God. His apology was great, but his decision led to the loss of lives.”
Trotter suffered damage to his sciatic nerve and has “lost a lot of function” in his left leg, he said. He’s on leave for rehabilitation.
Rodriguez apologized to each family member of the students who died and to Trotter. He called the fellow students in the car his only friends.
“Everyday I can’t look at myself anymore, there’s no need,” he said. ” I don’t know why God saved me. If I had a choice I would give my life for them.”
Police arrested Rodriguez a month after the crash when he was released from the hospital. He underwent several surgeries for his injuries and had trouble standing in the courtroom.
He was indicted on 12 charges, including manslaughter, but most were dropped as part of his plea agreement.
Judge Brandon Thompson told Rodriguez to put the rest of his life to “good use.”
“You made a comment that you don’t know why you were spared. I don’t know how you survived frankly,” Thompson said. “All I can say is when you’re released, you need to figure it out.”
— Lisa Moreno; lmoreno@oregonian.com
