A man involved in an August 2024 Traffic Crash in Branson that resulted in the death of a passenger in his vehicle is sentenced to prison.

According to court documents, 32-year-old Wilian Garcia-Rodriguez of Branson changed his plea from not guilty to guilty and will serve 10 years in prison on charges of DWI Causing the Death of Another and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. He was sentenced to 10 years on the first charge, seven on the second but the sentences will be served concurrently. 

Garcia-Rodriguez was behind the wheel of a truck near the intersection of Francis Street and Gretna Road when he lost control of the vehicle and overturned, killing a person who was a passenger in the vehicle. Garcia-Rodriguez fled the scene but was caught a short time later. 

The original online story about the crash can be read below:

A man from Central America is facing multiple charges in a crash that killed a passenger in his vehicle.

According to the Probable Cause Statement filed by the Branson Police Department to the Taney County Prosecutor, 31-year-old Wilian Garcia-Rodriguez was the driver of a vehicle that crashed near the intersection of Francis Street and Gretna Road Saturday evening. A passenger in the vehicle died at the scene while Garcia-Rodriguez fled the scene and was detained in a nearby parking lot later. 

Garcia-Rodriguez is facing felony charges of Driving While Intoxicated and Leaving the Scene of an Accident along with three other misdemeanor charges. 

The Probable Cause statement also indicates that Garcia-Rodriguez is facing a misdemeanor DWI Charge in Pulaski County, Arkansas while Missouri Case Net also shows he recently was cited with Driving Without a License in Sparta in Christian County. 

Garcia-Rodriguez is being held in the Taney County Jail without bail. The identity of the victim killed in the crash has not been released.