A driver who was 16 and high on marijuana when he caused a Thanksgiving week crash in Peoria that killed five people, including three children, has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Bjorn Hartzell, now 20, was sentenced July 31 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and one count of felony endangerment, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Hartzell was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee on the night of Nov. 20 near 107th Avenue and Lone Cactus Drive when he crashed into a Mazda minivan, according to the county attorney's office and Peoria police.
Inside the minivan were Jace Hochstetler, 31, and Elizabeth Simpson, 36, and four children — all six wearing seat belts, according to police. Hochstetler and Simpson died
at the scene, a 14-year-old girl died shortly after arriving at a hospital and two other children died later, according to police. One child survived the crash, the county attorney's office said.
A crash reconstruction found Hartzell was driving between 112 mph and 115 mph in a 40-mph zone when the collision occurred, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. A preliminary investigation found the minivan, driven by Simpson, was traveling eastbound and making a left turn when Hartzell's Jeep struck it, police said. Just hours after the crash, police said speeding and impairment were suspected of the Jeep's driver.
Hartzell admitted to smoking marijuana and a court-ordered blood draw confirmed there was tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC, in the then teenager's blood, according to the county attorney's office.
"No one expects a routine drive to end in tragedy because another driver chose to speed while impaired," said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a statement. "Cases like this highlight why reckless and impaired driving remain among the greatest dangers on our roads."
Hartzell's arrest came March 30, 2023, in Glendale, four months after the deadly crash and about two months after his 17 birthday.
Hartzell pleaded guilty June 24 to felony unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle stemming from an incident the previous month, according to Maricopa County court records. During his initial court appearance in that case, a judge noted Hartzell was already out on felony bond. At the conclusion, Hartzell told the judge, "I'm sorry."
Hochstetler and Simpson became engaged just weeks before the crash, a GoFundMe mentioned. Hochstetler had been advocating for five years in the Phoenix area in support of the unhoused and sobriety, the GoFundMe detailed. The couple and the children were returning from a Thanksgiving get-together, the county attorney's office added.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Inebriated Jeep driver, 16, killed 5 in Peoria. Here's his sentence
