Southern New Mexico man sentenced to eight years in prison for striking and killing teen in 2019
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- The man who pleaded guilty to striking and killing a Berino teen in 2019 was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday.
Oscar Anchondo, now 23, struck 16-year-old Beto Romero on April 3rd, 2019. Anchondo pled guilty to the crime on March 2nd to three felonies: homicide by vehicle as reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident causing great bodily harm or death and tampering with evidence. He also pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving without a license and insurance.
Several family members and friends of Romero spoke Monday afternoon about the grief they've experienced in the last two years.
"To Oscar Anchondo, you can't imagine the pain that you have caused by your wrong actions," Adelberto Romero, father of Beto Romero said. "You never showed any remorse."
"I know at the time that this accident happened I was abusing drugs and I was not in the right state of mind," Oscar Anchondo said. "I want to say to the victims family and all the friends that I hurt, I am very very sorry for what I did. I also wish one of these days everybody in the whole community will forgive me for what I did."
A judge sentenced Anchondo to eight years in prison followed by two years of parole. Anchondo has been incarcerated at the Dona Ana County Detention Facility for violating conditions of release while awaiting trial.
Romero was a beloved member of the Gadsden High School baseball team. The Dona Ana County Sheriff's office said Romero was leaving his house to pick up his girlfriend when he was struck by Anchondo's vehicle.
