TAMPA, Fla. — On Wednesday, the family of a grandfather killed by a wrong-way driver nearly six years ago found out the fate of the man convicted of killing him.
Stephen Paleveda, who was 27 years old at the time of the crash, was convicted of DUI manslaughter in February of 2024. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison with a four-year minimum mandatory sentence.
For two additional counts, Paleveda was sentenced to ten years each to be served concurrently with the 25-year sentence. His release will be followed by five years of probation and a permanent driver's license revocation.
Prosecutors said Paleveda was driving his Ford F-250 truck drunk in the wrong lane on the Selmon Expressway before sunrise with his headlights off, running multiple red lights, when he hit another truck head-on in October 2018. The impact caused the truck to catch fire and killed 68-year-old Bamnet Narongchai immediately, who was on his way home from volunteering at the Wat Thai Temple, where he had done volunteer work for more than 35 years.
He left behind a loving family and numerous friends he met from his years of helping the local community.
Video from that night shows Paleveda's truck speeding into and out of the frame so quickly that the video had to be slowed down to capture an image of the vehicle, according to Tampa police.
Police determined Paleveda tried to run away from the scene of the crash because officers had located him a few blocks away when they responded that night.
He was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and resisting arrest.
Investigators said his blood alcohol level was 0.27, more than three times the legal limit. According to prosecutors, Paleveda had been at a wedding with his girlfriend earlier that night and was drinking.
During the four-day trial, Paleveda's defense attorneys denied that he was driving the truck. Instead, they argued he was a passenger, and his girlfriend was the driver.
After interviewing his girlfriend and seeing surveillance video from a bar in South Tampa, investigators said they believed Paleveda's girlfriend had been dropped off at home after the wedding and he decided to go to the bar alone. Attorneys said the crash happened after the visit to the bar.