HAMILTON, Ohio — Brandon Begley, 41, of Fairfield Twp., the driver of an SUV that struck a vehicle in Hamilton’s Lindenwald neighborhood, killing three members of a family, was sentenced in Butler County Common Pleas Court Monday, June 1.
Judge Michael Oster Jr. sentenced Begley to a total of nine years for three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, three years for each count.
Begley pleaded guilty to the charges Monday, April 27. He faced a maximum of five years per count.
Begley was driving a 2008 Pontiac Torrent south on River Road Dec. 21, 2025 when he passed three vehicles, hit a curb, overcorrected and struck a northbound 2008 Honda Civic head‑on, according to a police report.
Killed in the crash were the occupants of the Civic: Milton Alvarez Lagos, 35; Bety Salazar Lopez, 27 and Milton Salazar Alvarez, 10.
The Civic then hit a garage and a fence, while the Torrent spun into a 2002 Ford F‑150. The driver of that vehicle was not injured.
The Torrent’s speedometer was stuck at 80 miles per hour in a 35‑mph zone, according to a police report.
Begley, addressing the court, said he accepts “complete and total responsibility” for the actions that led to the deaths of the three family members.
“Your honor, I never wanted this to happen,” he said. “If I could, I would give my life so that they could still have theirs. In my mind, I deserve death for what happened.”
Begley said has nightmares about the fatal crash.
“I watched them die, and that I'll never be able to forget as long as I live,” he said. “I'll never be able to forget that moment, and I can never forgive myself for that.”
Begley said he is a Christian, prays for the relatives of the family and hopes to communicate with them either during or after prison to help them heal from their loss.
“I hope to do right, and I hope to do the best that I can to move forward, and I pray for the family that they can move forward, and to the family, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”
