MONROE, La. – Authorities have arrested and charged a Monroe man with three counts of vehicular homicide after a crash in Richland Parish claimed the lives of three people. Among the dead are a 10-year-old and 6-year-old.
According to Louisiana State Police, the crash happened on Oct. 24, 2020, around 6 p.m., on Interstate 20 east of the Rayville exit.
The driver, identified as 33-year-old Eswin Agustin of Monroe, ran his vehicle off the roadway and hit a tree. Two of Agustin’s passengers, identified as 37-year-old Jamie McIlvoy of Monroe and 6-year-old Luz Diaz of Monroe, were both pronounced dead at the scene by the Richland Parish Coroner’s Office. On Monday, 10-year-old Priscilla Suazo of Monroe died. At least two of the passengers were not properly restrained.
Agustin was arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, possession of schedule II, careless operation, no driver’s license, child restraint, and possession of an alcoholic beverage inside the vehicle. He was booked into Richland Parish Jail.
LSP offers the following advice for drivers:
Buckling up is the most effective way to protect yourself in a crash. Failure to take a few seconds to buckle up can have devastating consequences. Louisiana law requires every person in a vehicle, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained day or night.
Louisiana State Police would like to remind all motorists that if you feel differently, you drive differently. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and other drugs have many effects on the body that negatively affect driving skills. These drugs can impair visual ability, alter the sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and decrease reaction times. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and designate a sober driver. Not doing so can have deadly consequences.
In 2020, Troop F has investigated 41 fatal crashes resulting in 45 deaths.
