Teen charged with murder over causing 12-car pile-up in Las Vegas to kill pregnant girlfriend: prosecutors

A Las Vegas teen has been charged with murder after prosecutors argued that a car crash he caused was intentional. The crash took the life of his pregnant girlfriend as well as another driver at the scene of the crash.

Jose Gutierrez, 19, was arrested on Tuesday when he was involved in a car crash near North Jones Boulevard on West Cheyenne Avenue, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. His girlfriend, Adilene Duran Rincon, 20, and the driver of another car, Edward Garcia, 38, died during the 12-vehicle crash buildup. Rincon was pregnant at the time of the crash.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said that he believes Gutierrez caused the crash intentionally filed murder charges against the 19-year-old. “We believe he was not impaired by alcohol or drugs and therefore we believe, based upon all the evidence to date, including a very descriptive video, that his actions were intentional, which gives rise to a charge of murder," Wolfson said.

Gutierrez's view was not obstructed when the crash took place, and he apparently did not try to hit the brakes before the collision took place.

“We need to do something to stop this kind of driving behavior, not just this case,” the district attorney said in comments to reporters. “As we all know, we all live here in Las Vegas, in the last couple of months, couple of years, there’ve been too many of these cases.”

A criminal complaint was filed on Friday, listing the charges of murder, attempted murder, as well as reckless driving and battery. He was traveling at around 100 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone and did not slow down as he approached and then slammed into stopped cars at a red light.

Rincon's mother said, “He has to accept what he did, what happened." Gutierrez was hospitalized after the crash and appeared in court with only his left arm bandaged up.