A 64-year-old man whose blood alcohol concentration was nearly four times over the legal limit will spend the rest of his life in jail for killing a woman and her unborn child in a DUI crash on US 60 two days before Christmas in 2024, authorities said Tuesday.

Ronald Keith Howard has been sentenced to 50 years in prison, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller announced. Howard pleaded guilty to all charges – two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault - stemming from the fatal collision.

Howard, a repeat DUI offender, was driving on Dec. 23, 2024 with a blood alcohol concentration of .303, according to a release from the Pinal County’s Attorney’s Office.

Howard was traveling east on US 60 between mileposts 204 and 215, when he brought his vehicle to a stop on the right-side emergency shoulder.

“Prior to the collision, Howard began to accelerate his vehicle into the eastbound lanes of the US 60, into the path of a vehicle being driven by a man and his wife who was the passenger. Howard’s vehicle crossed the lane entering the lane occupied by the victims,” the release stated.

The victims’ vehicle took evasive action to the left to avoid Howard’s vehicle, but they collided. Both the passenger and her unborn child died at the scene. The woman was 17 weeks pregnant. The driver of the victims’ vehicle also incurred serious injuries, authorities said.

“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s actions and the irreplaceable loss suffered by the victim’s family and community,” Miller said.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.