SPOKANE, Wash. – Daniel J. Jones, 34, was sentenced on Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court to 78 months in prison for vehicular homicide. Jones had previously pleaded guilty to the charge in January.
The incident occurred in August 2022 when Jones was driving on Downriver Drive with his girlfriend. Jones, after pulling his car on the roadway directly in front of a truck and nearly causing a collision, then attempted to pass the truck on the narrow, no-passing road. Jones was reportedly travelling at a high rate of speed when he failed to navigate a tight curve and lost control of his car, before rolling down an embankment.
According to court documents, Jones’s girlfriend was partially ejected and pinned beneath the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters arrived.
The State requested a low-end sentence for Jones, noting his guilty plea and acceptance of responsibility. However, they also emphasized his “intentional and rash choices.”
The defense argued for a lighter sentence, citing Jones’s “lack of intent in the death.”
Judge Candie Dibble sentenced Jones to 78 months in prison, followed by 18 months of community custody. She highlighted that Jones “acted impulsively and out of anger during the incident.”
