MILWAUKEE, WI — Jorge Alvarez Mathuzima was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed an unborn child.
Mathuzima entered the courtroom in shackles to learn his fate. After serving his sentence, he will be placed on supervised release for 8 years.
"I understand that nothing I say or do can undo the damage that's been done," Mathuzima said.
The crash happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 26 of last year. Mathuzima got behind the wheel intoxicated at nearly double the legal limit and drove the wrong way on I-43.
Related | Milwaukee man charged in I-43 wrong-way crash that killed unborn child
"The defendant is driving the wrong way for a significant period of time; he drives past 10 vehicles and a deputy and straight on into a woman who's just coming home from work," prosecuting attorney Grant Huebner said.
Dramatic video shows police pulling the pregnant woman from her car. Her child did not survive.
"And when you combine these two things like the defendant did and you hurt a woman, and you rob her of her chance to be a mother," Huebner said.
The prosecution said the emotional damage caused was so severe that the victim and her family could not bear to attend the sentencing. The state asked for 25 years. The defense asked for 10 to 12 years.
The defense said Mathuzima was remorseful and had no prior criminal issues outside of that night.
"If I had the power to relive that moment, I would gladly trade places with you and sustain all of your injuries, and I would gladly trade my life for that of your unborn son," Mathuzima said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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