Long Beach man who killed a minor in 2019 found guilty, sentenced to 25 years behind bars

LONG BEACH, California – A drunk driver who struck and murdered a family of three on Halloween evening in Long Beach in 2019 was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Carlo Adrian Navarro was convicted guilty of three charges of murder and vehicular manslaughter earlier this year. On Thursday, he received his punishment and apologized to the victim’s family in court.

He stated, “I wish I could bring them back, but I cannot.”

He told the court that addressing the relatives of the victims was his greatest concern because “I’ll never be able to give you back what you’ve lost.”

He said, “I sincerely apologize.”

The 23-year-old was found guilty of killing Joseph Awaida, 30, his wife, Raihan Dakhil Awaida, 32, and their 3-year-old son, Omar. When they were struck, they were trick-or-treating near Los Cerritos Park.

The family was struck in the vicinity of Country Club Drive and Los Cerritos Park Place at 9:55 p.m. on October 31, 2019.

Joseph Awaida passed away that evening. The couple’s son passed away on November 2, and his mother died the next day.

“On Halloween night, three years ago, I lost not one, not two, but three family members… that’s one-third of my family,” stated Fisil Khalil.

At the time of the accident, Navarro, who was 20 years old, risked up to 45 years to life in jail. However, Superior Court Judge Laura Laesecke opined that Navarro may still contribute to the community.

According to Long Beach police, Navarro was driving a 2002 Toyota Sequoia southbound on Country Club Drive and failed to make a turn. Authorities say he instead drove onto the sidewalk and struck the family as they walked home from trick-or-treating.