Arkansas man sentenced for negligent homicide connected to crash that killed 1, injured 5

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — An Arkansas man will spend the next two decades behind bars for charges connected to a crash last year that killed one person and injured five, including himself, according to court documents.

Alexander Rios-Rodriguez, 28, of Russellville, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for one count of negligent homicide and three counts of second-degree battery.

Rios-Rodriguez changed his plea during a status hearing on Monday.

Court documents said between 4:30 and 5 a.m. on Jan. 14, 2024, Rios-Rodriguez was traveling east on Fulbright Expressway in Fayetteville. Rio-Rodriguez’s vehicle collided with another vehicle head-on.

The front seat passenger of the other vehicle, a 12-year-old girl, was killed in the crash. Three others in the vehicle, including the driver, were critically injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

Rios-Rodriguez was also injured in the crash and provided a blood sample. The sample determined that his blood‐alcohol level was 0.13%, 0.5% above the legal limit.

He was arrested on Jan. 30, 2024.