LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tears, anger, and heartbreak filled a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday as the family of 5-year-old Kamari Wolfe faced the man who took their son's life.
Guillermo Chochi-Senobua was sentenced by Judge Jessica K. Peterson for the 2023 DUI crash that killed a 5-year-old boy during school drop-off.
WATCH: Alyssa Bethencourt reports on the latest on the sentencing of man involved in a DUI crash that claimed the life of a 5-year-old
Peterson sentenced him to at least five years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 12.5 years. Chochi-Senobua was credited 344 days for time served.
He was also imposed a mandatory $2,000 fine.
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A Family’s Grief, 18 Months in the Making
In October of 2023, police say he drove drunk near Somerset Academy Losee campus, veering into oncoming traffic to pass two stopped cars. At that moment, 5-year-old Kamari Wolfe was crossing and was fatally struck by Chochi-Senobua's work van.
Chochi-Senobua had just dropped off his own child at the school minutes earlier. His blood alcohol content was .098 — over the legal limit of .08 — and he had an active DUI warrant out of Texas at the time of the crash.
A reckless driving charge was dropped as part of a plea deal.
He Was Our Light
Inside the courtroom, family members took turns sharing memories of Kamari — a joyful, energetic child with a bright future, just three weeks shy of his sixth birthday. They spoke of the silence that now fills their home, the birthday parties that will never be, and the laughter they’ll never hear again.
“Kamari lit up every room he walked into,” one relative said. "To know him was definitely to love him."
Courtroom Tensions Rise
At Wednesday's sentencing, Chochi-Senobua delivered a long, often rambling statement. At times, he downplayed his responsibility, which prompted Judge Jessica Peterson to intervene.
"I want them to know I am not a bad person. I have never committed a crime," Chochi-Senobua said.
“You still fail to recognize the gravity of what you’ve done,” Judge Peterson responded.
Kamari’s family, visibly upset, asked for the maximum sentence — expressing outrage at what they saw as a lack of remorse.
A Sentence Delivered
Photos of Kamari were displayed during the hearing — snapshots of a little boy full of life, now gone too soon. For his family, the sentencing was not closure, but a moment to honor Kamari’s memory and remind the world of the life that was taken.
"Not only did you make a choice to get behind the wheel impaired, you also drove your own child to school, and luckily you got her to school safely before mine could even make it across the parking lot to class. It was like losing my breath and never catching it again," said Jasmyn Wolfe, Kamari's mother.
