JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Diego Hernandez Martinez, 25, has been sentenced to 25 years in Florida State Prison for a DUI crash that killed two motorcyclists. The sentence, handed down by the Honorable Jonathan Sacks, also includes two and a half years of probation and a permanent driver’s license suspension.
Hernandez Martinez pleaded guilty on July 9, 2025, to two counts of DUI Manslaughter.
The fatal crash occurred on October 3, 2024, at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Washburn Road. Hernandez Martinez, driving a pickup truck, made a left turn and collided with motorcyclists Gabe DiSpirito and Joe Royce, both 25, who were traveling westbound. DiSpirito died at the scene, and Royce was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Florida Highway Patrol and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation. A trooper at the scene noted that Hernandez Martinez had bloodshot, watery eyes and a flushed face, and the trooper later smelled alcohol on him at the hospital. Toxicology results showed that Hernandez Martinez’s blood alcohol level was 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit.
According to authorities, Hernandez Martinez did not have a driver’s license at the time of the crash and was on two active suspensions from a previous DUI and a failure to complete a driver improvement course. He is not a legal U.S. citizen and has an ICE hold.
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