SPRINGDALE, Ark — A woman who crashed her vehicle into a Springdale home in 2020, killing one woman and injuring two others, has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to nine years in prison.
In June 2020, the Springdale Police Department was alerted about a single-vehicle crash. The tipster said the vehicle had rammed through a fence and into a home.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found 51-year-old Sheila Kirkpatrick unconscious in the vehicle and three individuals, 62-year-old Ofelia Vasquez, 34-year-old Violet Rosales, and a 2-year-old girl, in debris from the crash.
Ofelia Vasquez died due to injuries from the crash, and the other two victims later recovered from their injuries.
At the time, Kirkpatrick said that she was not aware of what led to the crash and that the last thing she remembered was driving home and waking up to people screaming.
Officers placed Kirkpatrick under arrest for negligent homicide and two counts of third-degree battery.
A Washington County jury found her guilty of manslaughter for Vasquez's death nearly two years later. She has been sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay a fine.
Through the community's help, the victims raised over $10,000 to help their families overcome the tragedy.
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.