A 22-year-old California man who killed an elderly couple while driving 89 mph in a 45-mph zone has been sentenced to one year in county jail, despite prosecutors seeking a state prison sentence.
Neil Liam Reb of Oak Park pleaded guilty to two counts of felony gross vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of Alejandro Ramirez, 77, and his wife, Maria Ramirez, 73. The couple died when Reb’s Jeep Wrangler struck their Volkswagen SUV in Newbury Park on May 6, 2025.
Their family urged the court to impose a stronger punishment. “My parents were worth infinitely more than that. Their lives mattered,” one daughter wrote in a statement to the judge.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced the sentence on October 9. Reb also received two years of formal probation and must report to jail on October 14.
A Left Turn Ended in Tragedy
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Shortly after 4 p.m. on May 6, 2025, Reb was driving a 2024 Jeep Wrangler northbound on Via Las Brisas in Newbury Park.
Alejandro and Maria Ramirez were traveling west on Calle Del Prado in their Volkswagen Tiguan. According to the Ventura County Star’s reporting on the sheriff’s investigation, the couple began turning left onto Via Las Brisas when Reb’s Jeep struck their SUV.
Investigators determined that Reb was traveling 89 mph, nearly double the posted 45-mph speed limit.
One vehicle came to rest about 250 feet north of the intersection, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s initial account, as reported by KEYT News Channel 3-12.
Firefighters and paramedics attempted life-saving measures on the couple, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Reb survived with minor injuries. Following the sheriff’s investigation, he was arrested on June 30, 2025, posted $50,000 bail, and was released that day.
Two Guilty Pleas, One Year Behind Bars
On August 28, 2026, Reb pleaded guilty to two counts of felony gross vehicular manslaughter under California Penal Code Section 192(c)(1). He also admitted a special allegation classifying the crimes as serious felonies.
Gross vehicular manslaughter involves negligence substantially more serious than an ordinary driving mistake. California law requires conduct that creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury and represents an extreme departure from reasonable care.
The charges were non-alcohol-related. Prosecutors attributed the deaths to Reb’s reckless driving.
Reb faced a maximum of seven years and four months in state prison for the filed charges. Prosecutors sought three years and four months, but Ventura County Superior Court Judge R. Paul Kawai imposed 365 days in county jail.
The court suspended imposition of sentence and placed Reb on 24 months of formal probation, with the jail term as a condition. According to the court docket in case 2025016279, he received one day of custody credit and must report to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office by 7 p.m. on October 14.
Judge Kawai denied a defense request to serve the sentence in Los Angeles County and prohibited electronic monitoring.
Reb must also obtain approval from his probation officer before driving, comply with travel restrictions, and participate in treatment programs as directed. Violating probation could expose him to additional sentencing.
A Family Confronts the Sentence
Family members addressed the court during Friday’s hearing, describing the devastation caused by losing both parents in a single collision.
The couple’s eldest daughter spoke about the final moments with her parents that she never had.
“The pain of losing my parents this way was and still is unbearable,” she wrote. “There was no time to comfort them, hold their hand, to say goodbye, see them, or tell them I love them one last time. Those moments were taken from us.”
Another daughter appealed for the strongest possible sentence.
“Your Honor, a maximum sentence of 365 days in county jail is devastating to our family,” she wrote. “My parents were worth infinitely more than that. Their lives mattered.”
Numerous family members and other speakers addressed the court before sentencing. Reb also presented an unsworn statement.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Nuñez criticized the punishment in the district attorney’s official announcement.
“A one-year county jail sentence for taking the lives of Alejandro and Maria Ramirez is inconsistent with the gross negligence of the crime,” Nuñez said. “The defendant was driving nearly twice the posted speed limit, and two people lost their lives as a result.”
Prosecutors had sought a state prison term, arguing that the punishment should reflect the gravity of the deaths and their impact on the family.
Another Fatal Crash, a Very Different Outcome
Just two days before Reb’s sentencing, a Florida judge imposed a dramatically different punishment in another high-speed crash that killed an elderly married couple.
Scott P. March, 64, received 47 years in state prison on October 7 after pleading no contest to two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of DUI manslaughter.
March was driving a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 on State Road A1A in Volusia County on November 1, 2025, when he caused a collision that killed Thomas Lauck and Julia Ann Lauck, both 73.
Investigators determined that he reached 147 mph shortly before the collision. March was traveling approximately 110 mph while attempting to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone when he struck the couple’s Jeep, causing it to overturn.
A toxicology report established that March had a blood-alcohol concentration of approximately 0.13%, above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08%.
March received 47 years in state prison. Reb received one year in county jail and two years of probation.