Repeat DUI driver sentenced in crash that killed girlfriend on Hwy 168 in Fresno
A Fresno man responsible for a deadly DUI crash that ultimately killed his girlfriend was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Kimsol Ban, 45, will be required to serve a mandatory five years, followed by at least 15 years, before being eligible for a parole hearing, via a sentence imposed Monday in Fresno County Superior Court.
During trial, it was revealed that Ban, a repeat DUI offender, was driving under the influence with an alcohol concentration more than four times the legal limit on the night of April 3, 2022. Ban was exiting southbound Highway 168 at McKinley Avenue when he veered off, went down an embankment and crashed into a tree.
His girlfriend, Sophal Srey, was seated in the front passenger seat and was ejected from the vehicle. She suffered catastrophic injuries and remained on life support for more than two weeks before dying.
Ban’s friend Tithirry Chheang also was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, seated in the rear driver’s side, and suffered serious injuries, including a fractured vertebra.
Ban had a prior DUI conviction in 2011 and was warned then by the court that driving under the influence and causing a death could result in a murder charge.
