Sacramento – A man responsible for a devastating crash in Sacramento that claimed the lives of two young women has been sentenced to decades behind bars. On Wednesday, Sacramento Superior Court Judge sentenced 33-year-old Ricardo Beltram to 36 years to life in prison for the deadly 2021 crash.
Beltram had a history of driving under the influence, with two prior DUI convictions before the fatal incident. In June, he was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Raquel Hudson and Dejuana Byrd, both 28 years old and residents of Sacramento. In addition to the murder convictions, Beltram also pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of DUI causing injury.
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The crash occurred in the early hours of July 10, 2021, at the intersection of Northgate Boulevard and the Arden Garden Connector, near South Natomas. Prosecutors said Beltram was speeding at more than 80 miles per hour when he ran a red light and slammed into a car that was lawfully crossing the intersection. Hudson, Byrd, and another passenger were inside the car.
The impact of the collision was catastrophic. Beltram’s truck crushed the passenger side of the victims’ car, sending it down an embankment. Hudson and Byrd were pronounced dead at the scene. The third passenger survived but suffered broken bones and significant injuries.
When officers arrived, they found an open and nearly empty bottle of Hennessy Cognac inside Beltram’s vehicle. Beltram was taken to a hospital, where he reportedly showed clear signs of intoxication and acted aggressively toward police. A blood test conducted about an hour and a half after the crash showed his blood alcohol concentration at a staggering .27%, more than three times California’s legal limit of .08%. Even hours later, a court-ordered blood draw still measured his BAC at .19%.
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Authorities noted that Beltram had been warned repeatedly about the dangers of driving drunk. Following his earlier DUI convictions, courts had specifically informed him that drinking and driving could lead to a murder charge if someone were killed. He had also completed a Mothers Against Drunk Driving course, where he again received warnings about the fatal risks of impaired driving.
After his sentencing, Beltram remained in custody at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, awaiting transfer to a state prison where he will serve his time.
The case serves as a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of drinking and driving — and how warnings ignored can lead to tragic, irreversible outcomes.