Florida man convicted in deadly crash caused by teen son sentenced to over 37 years in prison

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida father convicted of manslaughter after allowing his unlicensed teenage son to drive before a fatal crash in Osceola County in 2023 was sentenced to over 37 years in prison. 

What we know:

Richard Ferguson is accused of manslaughter by culpable negligence after a grandmother and three of her grandchildren were killed in a car crash.  

The judge said a jury determined that Ferguson's negligence was "criminal, that it was gross, that it was flagrant, that it was in reckless disregard for human life, disregard of the safety here for the people here on planet Earth and that it evidence of the indifference of the consequences of that decision." 

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The backstory:

Ferguson’s son was driving the family’s Chevy Impala without a license when it crashed into another vehicle on Sept. 3, 2023, killing four people—a grandmother and her three grandchildren. 

The crash happened at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and San Miguel Road in Poinciana.

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According to investigators, Ferguson’s son was reportedly speeding and ran a stop sign before crashing into the side of a Honda HR-V driven by Trinidad Hernandez. Hernandez’s grandchildren—Mylie Cruz, 1; Marvin Cruz, 9; and Anayari Hernandez, 11—were also killed. 

Ferguson was found guilty by a jury on four counts of manslaughter by culpable negligence in October. 

On Feb. 18, a judge adjudicated Ferguson guilty of manslaughter by culpable negligence for the deaths of Trinidad Hernandez, Mylie and Marvin Cruz and Anayari Hernandez. 

Sentencing

The lowest permissible prison sentence was over 37 years in the Department of Corrections. He could legally be sentenced to life in prison for these allegations, the judge said. 

Based on the totality of the circumstances, the judge sentenced Ferguson to 444.15 months – which is just over 37 years – in prison.