Page 2
Sentencing and Civil Trial
Matthew’s killer, Mauricio Gomez, was arrested subsequent to the crash investigation conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol. The urgency of making the arrest was all the more serious as Gomez was not a US citizen and was believed to be in the process of fleeing to his home country of Columbia. His flight was unsuccessful and he was arrested at the end of January, 2007. He was charged with DUI manslaughter and before the case went to trial, Gomez pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in December of 2008.
In July 2012, Gomez faced a wrongful death civil suit brought by Matt’s mom. With his responsibility for Matthew’s death a foregone conclusion, the civil trial proceeded immediately into the judgment phase before a jury. As Matthew’s life was shared with the jurors and the tremendous loss to his family and the scientific world as well due to his death, the jury was greatly moved. Matt’s mom was awarded a judgment of twenty million dollars. Although it was already known that Gomez could never pay this debt, the trial set a precedent that anyone held responsible for DUI manslaughter could face monumental financial liability.
To date, Gomez has made no attempt to pay his judgment at any level and has disappeared. Upon his release from prison in 2017, he was not placed on probation as it was believed he would be deported. However, US immigration laws do not consider DUI manslaughter a violent crime and deportation was not an option. Thus, taking advantage of this loophole, Gomez slipped through the cracks and his whereabouts are unknown.
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The words and photographs for this Memorial Page have been submitted to the Road Victims USA website by Matt’s mother, Connie Beard Russell.
The board and volunteers at Road Safety USA and Road Victims USA wish to extend our sincere condolences to all of Matt’s loved ones for this terrible tragedy.
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Memorial Pages are available free for any person who has been killed in a road crash in the USA at any time since the invention of the automobile. Please contact us if you would like us to create a page for your loved one, or to make a donation to help us with our important work.
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