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SANTA ANA (CNS) - A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to four years in prison for an alcohol-fueled crash that killed a best friend in Yorba Linda.
Noah Christopher Cooper Watson of Yorba Linda was driving about 100 mph in a Ford F-350 pickup truck about 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2022, when he slammed into a center median and then into a eucalyptus tree on Yorba Ranch Road south of Via Sepulveda, killing 20-year-old Hunter Shekels, according to prosecutors.
Watson, who was given credit for 12 days in jail, must report for prison by Feb. 5. He accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin.
Watson's attorney, John Barnett, told City News Service that his client was "very remorseful."
"That was one of his best friends," Barnett said of the victim. "It's a very sad case all the way around. Two people under 21 -- one is dead and another is going to prison for four years. The family suffering was moving for everybody (in court)."
Watson broke his leg in the crash, Barnett said.
Watson pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, a DUI with a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit of .08% causing injury and having a concealed loaded unregistered gun in the vehicle, all felonies. He also admitted sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.