Reggie Stephey is the Texas man who, at 18, drove drunk into an oncoming car on Ranch-to-Market Road 2222 outside Austin in September 1999, killing two young women and leaving passenger Jacqueline Saburido with disfiguring burns that made her the face of a global anti-drunk-driving campaign. He was convicted of two counts of intoxication manslaughter in 2001, sentenced to seven years in prison, and released in 2008 after serving the full term.
The 1999 Crash Near Lake Travis
Around 4:00 a.m. on September 19, 1999, Stephey was driving a 1996 GMC Yukon home from a party. He was a wide receiver on the football team at Lake Travis High School and lived near the area.1Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace On a curve along RM 2222 near Lake Travis, he crossed the center stripe and hit a car carrying four friends returning from a birthday celebration at the Oasis restaurant.2Austin American-Statesman. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Campaigns Against Drunken Driving, Dies at 40
The driver, Natalia Chyptchak Bennett, and Laura Guerrero, a 20-year-old University of Texas student from Colombia, were killed. The wreckage caught fire. Two passengers were pulled clear, but Jacqueline Saburido, seated in the front passenger seat, remained trapped and burned for nearly a minute before the fire was put out.2Austin American-Statesman. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Campaigns Against Drunken Driving, Dies at 40 She survived with burns covering nearly all of her body.
Charges, Conviction, and Sentence
Stephey was charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony under Texas law with a punishment range of two to 20 years in prison.3Texas Legislature. S.B. 745 Bill Analysis In June 2001, a jury found him guilty on both counts.4Springfield Journal-Register. Woman Who Served as Face of Anti-Drunk-Driving Campaigns Dies The court imposed two concurrent seven-year prison terms and a $20,000 fine.5Austin American-Statesman. Court Donates Drunken Driving Video to Lake Travis Community Library
During the trial, Saburido asked to meet with Stephey and told him she forgave him.4Springfield Journal-Register. Woman Who Served as Face of Anti-Drunk-Driving Campaigns Dies Years later she qualified that forgiveness, saying: “I don’t know if I have anger. I know he didn’t mean to hurt anybody, but to tell you I feel good he’s studying? Maybe it makes me a little envious that he’s getting along with his life.”1Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
Prison and Release
Stephey served his full sentence at the Huntsville Unit and was released in June 2008. While incarcerated, he earned associate degrees in philosophy and business. After release, he enrolled at the University of Texas as a junior and worked in construction.1Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
Speaking publicly about the crash, Stephey said: “The one time that I made that horrible decision — only one time — and I got in trouble. It was devastating.” He added, “The prison sentence is nothing compared to the life sentence I’m going to live with on my own for what I did.”6WAVE 3 News. Drunk Driver’s Decision Has Life-Changing Consequences
Appearing in Anti-Drunk-Driving Campaigns
After his release, Stephey took part in the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Faces of Drunk Driving” campaign alongside Saburido, appearing in public service announcements aimed at young drivers. Law enforcement officials said his background as a high school athlete made him someone teenagers could relate to. In mid-August 2009, he and Saburido met in a San Antonio hotel room for more than an hour, their first meeting since the trial eight years earlier.1Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
Why the Case Is Still Known
The crash gave TxDOT and the marketing firm Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing the foundation for one of the most widely seen drunk driving awareness efforts in history. The signature ad showed Saburido lowering a photograph of her pre-accident face to reveal her burned appearance. A TxDOT poster carried the slogan: “The drunk driver got seven years. She got life.”7TxDOT. Faces of Drunk Driving – Seven Years An estimated one billion people worldwide saw Saburido’s story through the campaign and related coverage.8Valley Central. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Famous Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign, Dies Terry Pence, TxDOT’s traffic safety director at the time, called it “the hardest-hitting campaign” the agency had ever been involved in.1Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace Stephey’s name endured because it sat next to hers in that campaign, and because the seven-year sentence became part of the campaign’s message.