Las Vegas judge refuses to dismiss murder charges in triple-fatal 12-car crash

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- A judge denied an attempt to drop murder charges in the case against a 19-year-old man accused of deliberately causing a 12-car wreck that killed his pregnant girlfriend and two others. Jose Gutierrez is accused of causing the crash at the intersection of Cheyenne Avenue and Jones Boulevard on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Gutierrez’s girlfriend, Adilene Duran Rincon, 20, was killed in the crash, along with Edward Garcia, 38; and Vanessa Vasquez, 25. Prosecutors have charged Gutierrez with three counts of open murder with a deadly weapon, among other offenses. In court Wednesday, Gutierrez’s attorney, Thomas Moskal, asked Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt to drop the murder charges, saying Nevada law does not apply to the circumstances. “The Nevada Supreme Court made it clear, they said the vehicular-crime statutes control, whether it’s a DUI case or a reckless driving case, you cannot now charge murder on top of that,” Moskal said. Moskal is a former DUI prosecutor who, in that role, sparked debate about charging DUI offenders who kill with murder. Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Portz said evidence shows Gutierrez committed willful and premeditated murder. Documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained after the crash showed Gutierrez was speeding at 109 mph “in a nearly straight line,” police said. Data from the car showed he accelerated rapidly from 9 mph within five seconds. Leavitt denied the request outright after hearing the arguments. A hearing was scheduled for March 4 ahead of a May trial. Gutierrez told police he suffers from seizures but was never treated, documents said. Police said if that were true, the vehicle would “have slowed or decreased speed” or drifted off the road, according to documents.  Prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty should a jury convict Gutierrez on the murder charges. In all, 12 cars and 18 people were involved in the crash, ranging in age from 5 to 75. 8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at [email protected]. Help is available by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233). The hotline advises calling 911 in an emergency.