ARIZONA JURY: TANKER DRIVER GUILTY IN DEATH OF YUMA, ARIZONA-BASED DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER
February
6, 2015
Jurors
have found the driver of an empty fuel tanker guilty of criminally negligent
homicide in a 2013 collision that killed a Yuma-based highway patrol officer.
The
prosecution had initially charged Jorge Espinoza with second-degree murder in
the death of DPS Officer Tim Huffman, but the jury had been given instructions
it could instead find him guilty on lesser-included offenses, which is a crime
that contains some of the same elements as a more serious crime.
The
jury also found Espinoza guilty on six of the 13 endangerment charges against
him and six counts of criminal damage. Jurors began deliberating late Tuesday
afternoon and returned with the verdict Friday about 11 a.m.
Huffman
was killed in his patrol vehicle on May 6, 2013, when it was struck as part of
a multi-vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer driven by Espinoza. The
accident occurred as Huffman was writing a report at a rollover accident site
on Interstate 8 at milepost 40.
Superior
Court Judge David Haws, who presided over the five-week trial, also ordered
that Espinoza, who had been out of custody on $200,000 bond, be taken into
custody pending sentencing, which will likely be next month.
Saying,
"this is a trial that stirred deep emotions," Haws cautioned those in
attendance about making any outbursts or unduly reacting as the verdicts were
being read.
Jurors
were scheduled to return to court Friday afternoon for the sentencing phase of
the trial in which they will hear arguments from the prosecution and defense
about aggravating and mitigating factors, which are used to determine the
severity of a sentence.
Throughout
the trial the prosecution had argued that Espinoza had been using his cell
phone to access a social media site and did not see the accident scene ahead of
him in the roadway.
The
defense, however, had argued that Espinoza was blinded by the sun and that DPS
did not set up the lane closure at the scene of the original rollover accident,
which did not give him enough time to react. The defense had also argued that
is not against the law to use a cell phone while driving.
//________________________________________________//
Arizona Department of Public Safety makes arrest in
connection with the death of Officer Tim Huffman
Suspect
booked on several charges, including manslaughter
Friday,
May 10, 2013 -
This
afternoon, Detectives from the Arizona Department of Public Safety Vehicular
Crimes Unit arrested 33-year-old Jorge Espinoza of Yuma and booked him into the
Yuma County Jail on one count of manslaughter, 14 counts of endangerment and 7
counts of criminal damage in connection with the May 6 death of DPS Officer Tim
Huffman.
No
other information concerning the arrest, which was made at 5:30 p.m. today in
Yuma, will be released at this time.
On
May 6, 2013, at around 5:10 p.m., three Arizona Department of Public Safety
officers assigned to District 4 were investigating an injury collision on the
eastbound lanes of Interstate 8 at milepost 40, about 40 miles east of Yuma.
The fire department had requested that the officers close the number-two lane
to allow for the transport of the injured. A DPS Officer parked his patrol car
with the emergency lights flashing on the number-two lane. Officer Tim
Huffman’s patrol vehicle was parked a few feet away on the shoulder. Huffman
was in his car writing a report on his in-car computer (MDC).
Moments
later an empty tanker truck was traveling eastbound in the number-two lane of
Interstate 8 heading towards the closure. Despite the flashing lights and
attempts by an Officer to signal the truck driver, the semi-truck collided with
the DPS Officer’s patrol vehicle in the number-two lane, and then struck
Huffman’s vehicle which was parked in the emergency lane.
The Officer whose car
was in the number-two lane was able to jump out of the way moments before the
crash. The force of the impact killed Huffman who was still inside his vehicle.
The tanker also slammed into a pickup truck belonging to the fire department
which was pushed into another DPS patrol vehicle that was not occupied. That
patrol vehicle then struck the rear of a parked fire department truck.
The
driver of the semi truck was Jorge Espinoza, 33, of Yuma. At the time of the
crash, Espinoza was traveling from Yuma to Phoenix. He was not injured in the
crash.
Huffman,
who served as a member of the Arizona National Guard for many years in addition
to his DPS service, was 47. He is survived by three siblings who live out of
state. He joined DPS 14 years ago and was assigned to District 4, which is
based in Yuma. With his death, Huffman became the 29th DPS officer
to lose his life in the line of duty.