This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 22-year-old Magna man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting in court documents that he lost control of his car while driving too fast and killed a man who was changing a flat tire.
Anthony Lopez pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony charge on Monday, the day before a four-day trial was scheduled to begin. He was originally facing a second-degree felony manslaughter count in connection to the July 2, 2015, death of Graham Ambrose, but the charge was reduced as part of a plea deal.
Lopez faces a sentence of up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 3.
Ambrose, 67, was changing a flat tire in the right emergency lane of State Route 201 about 9 p.m. when he was struck by Lopez's vehicle and was killed. Ambrose's wife, who was sitting in the car, was also injured.
Lopez was also injured in the crash, and admitted to police that he had been speeding. The Utah Highway Patrol concluded that Lopez had been driving between 93 and 104 mph when he lost control and struck Ambrose. The speed limit on that road was 65 mph.
The defendant had claimed that he lost control while attempting to pass slower traffic and came upon a truck hauling a trailer and was unable to slow down in time, and swerved off the road. A witness, however, told police that she saw Lopez's Acura traveling side-by-side with another speeding car, and it appeared as if the two drivers were speaking to each other. She said the Acura lost control, hit a road sign and hit Ambrose.
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