Driver sentenced for crash that killed woman, 2 children

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A driver who intentionally drove into oncoming highway traffic, striking a car and killing a woman and her two children, was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.

John Dungan, 31, was sentenced Monday for the Oct. 25, 2019 crash on Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County.

He was convicted in August on three counts of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors said the Santa Barbara man was doing 119 mph (191.5 kilometres per hour) when he veered into oncoming traffic in an apparent attempt to kill himself and struck a Chevy Volt head-on.

The crash instantly killed Vanessa Bley, 34, of Solvang, who was thrown from the car, and her children, 4-month-old Desmond Bley Gleason and 2-year-old Lucienne Bley Gleason.

Before the crash Dungan had expressed suicidal or homicidal thoughts and had cut off a GPS ankle monitor he’d been required to wear after being charged with stalking an ex-girlfriend, authorities said.

“Dungan set off a chain of events that showcased the most despicable and downright evil display imaginable. His actions were methodical and meticulously executed,” Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Stephen Wagner told KEYT-TV.