A Vancouver man accused of intentionally crashing his vehicle last March in an attempt to kill his girlfriend and 2-year-old son, who were passengers, pleaded guilty Friday.
Robert Lewis Souza, 24, entered the guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of attempted second-degree murder, both domestic-violence related. He initially faced two counts of attempted first-degree murder. The difference in the charges is that Souza says the crash wasn’t premeditated.
Souza faces a sentencing range of 92.25 to 165 months in prison on each count. The counts will run consecutively because there were two victims involved.
He will be sentenced April 8, after a presentencing investigation is concluded.
His Vancouver defense attorney, Chris Ramsay, said in an interview that the prosecution plans to recommend the lower end of the sentencing range. Without the plea deal, Souza potentially faced 30 years in prison, he said.
According to court records, a rollover crash was reported at 11:41 p.m. March 31 on East Mill Plain Boulevard between East Reserve Street and Fort Vancouver Way, in front of Hudson’s Bay High School. Vancouver police said Souza crashed the vehicle after his girlfriend, Wendy Garibay, then 24, broke up with him.
Garibay sustained minor injuries. The couple’s son also was in the vehicle but was not injured.
Souza told police he picked up Garibay and his son from a bar in central Vancouver. The couple argued about the status of their relationship, which ended with Garibay telling him it was over. Souza said he “snapped” and decided to kill all of them by “ramming a gas station,” according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
Souza said he started to realize that what he was doing was wrong. However, he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped over, the affidavit said.
Police said Souza reached 120 mph before crashing and that there were no skid marks at the scene, court records show, suggesting he didn’t apply the brakes.
During his hearing, Souza provided a written statement to the court that said he doesn’t know if he intended to kill Garibay and his son when he intentionally crashed his car. He said he thinks his bipolar disorder, which was undiagnosed at the time, prompted his decision to crash.
“To say that I’m remorseful is an understatement,” Souza wrote in the statement, adding that he wanted to save his family from the pain of going to trial.
