OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The woman convicted of driving while under the influence of drugs and crashing into a retention pond, killing her three children, was sentenced to prison Monday.
Leticia Gonzales pleaded no contest to operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, a five-year felony, and three misdemeanor charges of moving violation causing death.
This stems from a crash back in February 2022 that claimed the lives of her three young children.
The judge handed her a minimum prison sentence of 24 months to a maximum of 60 months, which equates to about two years to five years.
The judge also gave her a year of jail credit.
"Miss Gonzales is already serving a life sentence. That is true. She's lost her children. Prior to this, it's not like her life was all that easy to begin with," Gonzales's attorney said to the courtroom.
Gonzales, standing with her attorneys, spoke before the judge handed her her sentence.
She cried while reading from a piece of paper in her hands.
"I continue to hate myself every day, your honor. I want to apologize to my kids' family and to my community but most of all to my kids," she said through tears.
"I'm sorry for everything. If I could give my life and change places, I swear I would."
She said she was willing to accept responsibility for what happened but also asked the judge for mercy.
The judge said Gonzales has struggled with drug use before, and "Unfortunately the children paid the ultimate price for that."
On Feb. 17, 2022, Leticia Gonzales was driving with her three young children in the car when it veered off the road, hit a curb, rolled and landed in a retention pond in Holland Township.
Gonzales was able to escape the car with minor injuries. Her children were strapped in car seats. Police and rescuers arrived and managed to pull the boys from the water that was covered with nearly eight inches of ice, but it was too late. Her children—4-year-old Jerome, 3-year-old Jeremiah and 1-year-old Josiah—were all killed in the crash.
Court documents later showed that Gonzales had misused a prescription drug hours before the crash. A deputy who evaluated Gonzales at the hospital after the crash reported her pupils were "notably constricted," her eyelids were droopy and she had difficulty keeping her eyes open.
Gonzales was later charged with three counts of operating while intoxicated causing death.
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