This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Tooele • A wrong-way drunken driver who killed three people in a head-on crash on Interstate 80 was sentenced Tuesday to prison for up to 30 years.

Paul Michael Mumford, 37, was initially charged with three counts of murder for the July deaths of Delphine John, 44, and daughters Anaya Orozco, 3, and Delilah Ramirez, 18.

Mumford pleaded guilty last month to two reduced counts of second-degree felony manslaughter, as well as one count of second-degree felony automobile homicide.

Third District Judge Robert Adkins sentenced Mumford to 1 to 15 years on each of the counts, with two of the terms running consecutively and the third running concurrently — and ordered him to pay $15,266 in restitution.

Mumford apologized for his actions in the early hours of July 5, saying he would have to bear the burden of a guilty conscience for the rest of his life — a punishment the Salt Lake City man said he deserves.

"If I could take it back, I would," Mumford said.

According to charging documents, Mumford was driving a pickup east on Interstate 80 after a trip to Wendover.

Witnesses said he was driving recklessly — veering in and out of lanes, tailgating cars — after he made a U-turn in an emergency turnaround on the freeway. The pickup then pulled over onto the shoulder for a moment before turning around and traveling east on the westbound side of the highway.

Tooele County Attorney Doug Hogan has previously said that Mumford was driving about 80 mph when he crashed head-on into a Chevy Suburban carrying the Farmington family. The Suburban was also traveling about 80 mph.

No skid marks were visible at the scene, prompting investigators to believe the crash occurred at full speed.

"That's like a 160-miles-per-hour crash," Hogan has said. "The family that he struck really had no chance. They didn't have a chance to react because, when you're driving, there should be nothing coming at you that fast."

John's husband, Jose Adame-Orozco, suffered critical injuries but survived.

The impact of the crash was "so violent that the engine of [the Suburban] was found approximately 10 feet away from the vehicle," according to court documents.

Mumford was taken to a hospital, where troopers interviewed him and reported that he smelled of alcohol. He told investigators he had "a couple of beers and had been at the casino for a couple of hours," officials wrote in charging documents. He told Utah Highway Patrol troopers that he fell asleep behind the wheel.

Early blood work taken at the hospital after the deadly crash indicated that Mumford's blood-alcohol content was 0.24 — three times the legal limit of 0.08, at which it is presumed safe to drive.

The prosecutor, Gary Searle, a deputy Tooele County attorney, called the case "a huge tragedy" for everyone and noted that Mumford's family, including his children, also is suffering.

Bethany Warr, an attorney with the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic, said she was glad the judge decided to have the terms run consecutively. She said the victims' family members will be dealing with the loss for the rest of their lives.

Ramirez's father and stepmother, Elias and Mila Ramirez, also wanted the maximum term.

"That decision you made ... you took our daughter," Mila Ramirez told Mumford right before he was sentenced. "We're going to have to live with that pain forever.

"We don't hate you, but you do have to pay for what you did."

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC