Napa man sentenced to 6 months in jail for deaths of Oregon biking couple

Oregon couple ID'd as cyclists killed by wood on truck

The Napa County coroner on Wednesday identified the pair of bicyclists killed after wood on a flatbed truck shifted and hit them as they rode along the Silverado Trail.

NAPA, Calif. - The man found responsible for the deaths of an Oregon couple bicycling along a road in Napa was sentenced to one year in jail on Friday, according to the Napa County District Attorney's Office.

Porfirio Sanchez was sentenced to one year in jail for the deaths of 48-year-old Michelle Deaton and her husband, 52-year-old Christian Deaton, after a large piece of lumber swung out from the truck he was driving and struck the couple biking alongside Silverado Trail on Oct. 17, 2023.

However, out of the one-year sentence, only six months are to spend behind bars while the other half is stayed upon completion of community service related to bike safety.

The 57-year-old Napa resident pleaded no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter. The plea agreement would've allowed Sanchez to serve up to four years in state prison.

The backstory:

The Deatons were killed after Sanchez failed to secure the lumber load he was hauling properly while driving down the road, the DA's office said.

What they're saying:

The one-year sentence was given based on the victim impact statements of the Deatons' family members, who asked the judge for leniency in Sanchez's sentencing.

"It seems that everyone in this case, generally, is requesting justice and mercy," the sentencing judge said. "The Court is moved by the amount of grace in this courtroom by all the families."

The judge added, "There’s nothing I can say or do today that can bring their loved ones back, but I hope that this sentence can bring them closure."

In addition to the jail sentence, Sanchez must serve two years of probation.