A Napa County man has been sentenced to about a year in jail for causing the death of two bicyclists in 2023.
Porfirio Sanchez, 57, pleaded no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter in November, for failing to secure a load of lumber he was hauling in his truck.
Sanchez was driving on Silverado Trail when a large piece of lumber swung out perpendicular to his truck and struck 52-year-old Christian Denton and his wife, 48-year-old Michelle Denton, killing the two Oregon residents.
The brother of Christian Denton requested leniency for Sanchez, which factored into Napa County Superior Court Judge Scott Young’s decision to sentence him to far less than the district attorney’s plea deal, according to a news release from the DA’s office.
“The court is moved by the amount of grace in this courtroom by all the families.”
Superior Court Judge Scott Young
Under the plea deal, Sanchez agreed to serve up to four years in prison, which was the sentence requested by the district attorney’s office.
Sanchez was instead sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 180 days suspended if he completes 180 hours of community service related to bicycle safety or a similar program authorized by the county probation department. He will also serve two years’ probation.
“It seems that everyone in this case, generally, is requesting justice and mercy,” Young said during Friday’s sentencing, according to the DA’s press release. “The court is moved by the amount of grace in this courtroom by all the families.”
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