A US pastor has been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter after investigators alleged he was driving 104mph and was impaired before a crash that killed his eight-year-old daughter.
Joel Leiniz, 38, was arrested on July 19, nearly six months after the January 17 collision in West Palm Beach.
According to investigators, Leiniz was driving a 2017 Audi Q7 with his three children after leaving a church concert when the vehicle struck a concrete pole shortly before 10 p.m.
Leiniz told police he lost control after swerving while attempting to change lanes because another vehicle appeared in front of him. He also said he did not believe he had been speeding.
nvestigators, however, said the vehicle’s event data recorder showed the Audi was travelling at 104mph in a 40mph zone about five seconds before the collision.
The impact caused the vehicle to catch fire. All four occupants were taken to hospital, where Leiniz’s daughter, Zoe, died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Hospital tests showed Leiniz had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.083, slightly above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08, according to investigators. Additional toxicology findings also led investigators to conclude he was impaired at the time of the collision.
During his court appearance, Leiniz’s lawyer asked for a reasonable bond, telling the court his client is a widowed father whose wife, Sasha Leiniz, died of cancer in January 2025.
Leiniz pleaded not guilty and was released after posting a $150,000 bond.
Source: MyNewsGh
