
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 28, 1990                   TAG: 9006280758
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX                                LENGTH: Medium

DRIVER WHO KILLED 3 GETS YEAR IN JAIL, FINE

A 26-year-old Alexandria man was convicted of three counts of involuntary manslaughter for killing three members of a family when he hit their car head-on while driving on the wrong side of a Fairfax County highway in April.

Juan Landeros was sentenced Wednesday to serve 12 months in jail and pay $1,000 in fines for each of the three counts. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge F. Bruce Bach ordered the jail terms to be served consecutively.

The maximum sentence for each count is 10 years in prison. Landeros can be released from jail in 24 months, his lawyer said.

Relatives of the crash victims said they were not pleased with the jury's sentence.

"I'm kind of disappointed," said Joseph L. Rastatter, son of victims Joseph A. Rastatter, 58, and his wife Mabel, 54, both of Dale City. The elder Rastatter's mother, Esther B. Rastatter, 84, of Erie, Pa., also died in the accident.

"I guess the people of Virginia are happy," Rastatter said. "They're the ones that are going to drive on the roads with him."

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Brownelle said he thought the sentence "was pretty light, to tell you the truth."

Landeros was southbound on U.S. 1 when he ran into the back of a car driven by Jens Petersen, causing it to hit the car in front of it, Petersen testified. Landeros hit another car and then sped away at a high speed, witnesses said. Landeros then smashed the Rastatters' car head-on, Brownelle said.

Brownelle suggested during his questioning of Landeros that he had raced away from the first accident because he was driving with a suspended license.

Landeros said he didn't know his license was suspended. He testified that after hitting Petersen's car he was "scared and in shock" and that his brakes failed. "By that time I just lost control of myself," Landeros said.

Landeros testified that he turned off the car to stop it, but the steering locked, forcing him to drive into the Rastatters' car.

Police said the brakes were adequate to stop the car and there was no indication Landeros had turned off the car to try to stop it.

by CNB