Texas man sentenced to 12 years for vehicular manslaughter, fleeing scene of accident

A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of felony vehicular manslaughter in connection with a fatal 2015 fatal crash in Salinas.

Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo said Anthony Bouchereau, 23, was found sentenced Friday by a Monterey County Superior Court Judge Andrew Liu.

A jury found Boucherau guilty March 9 , o f felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony hit- and-run causing death.

Bouchereau was driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone on July 5, 2015 on North Madeira Avenue in Salinas when he ran a red light and struck a van that was making a left turn through the intersection while travelling 50 mph in a 25 mpz zone . A passenger in the vehicle, Yesenia Romero, was ejected from the vehicle in the crash and later died from her injuries.

Bouchereau got out of his vehicle, approached Romero’s body, looked at her injuries , and immediately fled the scene with Romero’s phone, police said.

Romero’s family tried to text her phone two days after the crash , t o get her photos back. Bouchereau responded to the texts and tried to get money from the victim’s family in exchange for Romero’s phone. Romero’s family set up a meeting with Bouchereau and held him down until police arrived to arrest him.

The case was investigated by Detective Rudolfo Roman of the Salinas Police Department and Investigator Erik Morris of the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.