YORKTOWN, Va. — A man who was intoxicated behind the wheel when he swerved and crashed into another car in Yorktown last April, killing a man and a pregnant woman, was sentenced Thursday to serve 27 years in prison.
Hunter Arnold, 23, Arnold pleaded guilty to multiple felony offenses from the crash, which killed Abigail Pedroza Navarro, 34, of Smithfield, and James Stewart, 21, of Windsor, according to a press release from the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Poquoson.
The April 3, 2025 crash involved a 2016 Dodge Challenger and a 2015 Honda Fit, where witnesses reported Arnold was going too fast swerved into a Honda Fit with Navarro and Stewart in the car.
Previous coverage of the crash
Investigators said Arnold was driving under the influence during the crash.
Arnold was sentenced on the following offenses:
- DUI – Third Offense within Five Years: 5 years, with 4 years suspended
- DUI Felony Maiming: 5 years, with 4 years suspended
- Second-Degree Felony Murder (death of pregnant passenger): 40 years, with 25 years suspended
- Second-Degree Felony Murder: 40 years, with 30 years suspended
“This was a devastating and entirely preventable tragedy,” said Krystyn L. Reid, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Poquoson. "These sentences reflect the seriousness of repeated impaired driving and the irreversible harm it causes."
