A Sacramento County jury has convicted Owen Cruz, 33, of murder and multiple DUI-related felonies for a November 2024 crash in Rancho Cordova that killed a woman and seriously injured her family. Prosecutors said Cruz was driving drunk when he crossed into oncoming traffic on Douglas Road and struck the family’s vehicle head-on, killing the woman behind the wheel while her husband and two children suffered serious injuries. Cruz, who had a prior DUI conviction and had been arrested on suspicion of DUI just six weeks before the crash, allegedly fled the scene before he was found hiding at a nearby construction site. He now faces up to 45 years to life in prison.
According to ABC10, Cruz’s blood alcohol level measured 0.18% after the crash near Borderlands Drive and Douglas Road. The outlet reported that his sentencing is scheduled for October 30, 2026. CBS Sacramento reported that all four family members were riding in the same vehicle when it was struck, and that Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies investigated the crash as a possible hit-and-run before arresting Cruz, who also goes by Ogan Gencer, early the next morning.