Jennifer Carvajal: Two Fatal DUI Crashes and a 67-Year Sentence

Jennifer Carvajal, a 28-year-old Plant City, Florida woman, was sentenced on May 30, 2025, to 67 years in prison for a drunk-driving crash on Interstate 4 that killed her 22-year-old cousin Pedro Carvajal. The Jennifer Carvajal sentence was roughly double what prosecutors had recommended, and it followed an earlier DUI-manslaughter conviction from 2014, when she was 16.¹

The I-4 Crash That Killed Her Cousin

Around 1:40 a.m. on April 25, 2021, a Florida Highway Patrol sergeant clocked Carvajal’s silver Hyundai Elantra at 111 mph in a 60-mph zone on I-4 in Hillsborough County. She was driving three passengers home from her grandfather’s 80th birthday celebration.²

When the trooper tried to initiate a pursuit, Carvajal made a hard right, struck an embankment, went airborne over a Florida Department of Transportation fence, and slammed into a Ford F-250 parked at the Gator Ford dealership in Seffner before overturning in the lot.³²⁴

Her blood alcohol content was measured at 0.102, above Florida’s 0.08 legal limit.¹

The 2014 Killing and the Probation She Was On

In 2014, at age 16, Carvajal ran a red light while intoxicated and killed a 52-year-old Plant City man. She was convicted of DUI manslaughter and served prison time (reported as either four or five years, depending on the source) before being placed on probation.⁴¹ She was still on that probation when the 2021 crash occurred, and the state added a violation-of-probation charge to the new case.⁵

The Guilty Plea and the Charges

Carvajal entered an open guilty plea, meaning no agreed-upon sentence and broad discretion for the judge. She pleaded guilty to 10 counts:⁶

One count of DUI manslaughter
One count of vehicular homicide
Three counts of DUI with serious bodily injury
One count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury
One count of driving with license suspended or revoked
One count of DUI, second conviction
Two counts of DUI with property damage or personal injury

The plea exposed her to a sentencing range of 31 years to life. Prosecutors had earlier offered 50 years in exchange for a plea; Carvajal countered with 25, and the state rejected it.⁴

How the Sentence Reached 67 Years

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Green handed down 67 years on May 30, 2025, about double the 33-year term prosecutors recommended at the hearing.¹⁷

No single Florida DUI charge carries a 67-year cap on its own. Under Florida Statute 316.193, DUI manslaughter is a second-degree felony with a maximum of 15 years and a four-year mandatory minimum.⁸ Vehicular homicide likewise carries up to 15 years. The 67-year term reflects the cumulative weight of 10 counts stacked together and Carvajal’s status as a repeat offender. Florida Statute 775.084 allows enhanced sentencing for habitual or violent felony offenders, which can push a prison term well beyond what any single charge permits.⁹ Prosecutors argued she posed a “clear danger to the community” given her two fatal DUI crashes.⁴ Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez said Carvajal “will spend the rest of her natural life in prison.”¹⁰

1
People. Jennifer Carvajal Drunk Driving Learns Fate Fatal Crash
2
Tampa Bay Times. Car Doing 111 MPH Crashes on I-4; Driver Was on Probation in Traffic Death
3
FOX 13 News. Passenger Dies After Speeding Car Goes Airborne, Crashes Into Car Dealership
4
FOX 13 News. Driver in Deadly DUI Crash That Killed Cousin to Be Sentenced Friday
5
WFLA. Tampa Woman on Probation for DUI Death Causes High-Speed Crash
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FOX 13 News. Trial Begins Monday for Woman Accused of Killing Cousin in DUI Crash
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Yahoo News. Hillsborough Co. Woman Sentenced for DUI Crash
8
Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 316.193
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Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida DUI Administrative Suspension Laws
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WFLA. Hillsborough Co. Woman to Be Sentenced for DUI Manslaughter