Woman charged in deadly wrong-way crash on Florida Turnpike in Broward sentenced to 20 years behind bars

The woman accused of killing an aspiring Miami-Dade firefighter in a wrong-way crash on the Florida Turnpike in Miramar last year has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and 10 years of probation Friday afternoon. 

Sunshine Perez, 45, appeared emotional in Friday's sentencing hearing, sobbing for nearly half an hour through her address to the judge. Perez plead guilty earlier this year to DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of 23-year-old Zeke Urrutia, who was killed in January 2025 when Perez drove several miles in the wrong direction before crashing into his car.

"Again, I struggle with knowing that my two hands caused so much trouble to a family. I mean, come on with a name like Sunshine, you expect that to be a happy, bubbly person which I typically am, but now it's like a rain cloud over this family and anyone who knew him," Perez said through tears. 

Meanwhile, Urrutia's parents and sister took the stand, urging the judge to honor his life and keep the public safe. 

"I should be daydreaming about a wedding and grandchildren, those beautiful babies I was supposed to hold, love, and spoil. I was supposed to watch my son build a life he worked so hard to earn," Urrutia's mother, Tiffany, said.

Urrutia was a young paramedic who hoped to become a firefighter. 

"Instead, I watched the local news and saw my son's body in a bag next to his mangled vehicle. That's what Sunshine Perez took from us," Tiffany Urrutia said. 

Prosecutors estimated that Perez was traveling at a speed of 100 miles per hour, going 2.8 miles before crashing into Urrutia. Her maximum prison sentence would have been 34 years. 

The family said that they were not satisfied with the sentencing, wanting Perez to be sentenced to the maximum punishment. Perez decided with her attorneys not to fight for a lower sentencing and she will accept whatever sentence the judge gave her.