Driver indicted for March 2023 collision that killed two MoCo teens

Howard County man, 20, faces vehicular homicide, manslaughter charges

August 14, 2024 8:29 p.m.

A 20-year-old Howard County man is facing vehicular homicide and negligent manslaughter charges in connection with a March 2023 collision in Rockville that resulted in the deaths of two Montgomery County teens, according to authorities.

Jean Pierre Velasco of Elkridge was indicted July 26 by a Montgomery County Circuit Court grand jury on two counts of negligent manslaughter by vehicle, two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence of alcohol per se, county police said Wednesday in a news release.

Velasco has been released on an unsecured personal bond, according to the release. The release did not say when Velasco was arrested or when his bond hearing was held. Police did not immediately respond to MoCo360’s questions about Velasco’s arrest. In addition, court records and an attorney for Velasco were not available Wednesday afternoon in the Maryland Case Search database.

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According to police, officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews responded at about 4 a.m. March 4, 2023, to a report of a collision involving a black 2012 Infiniti G47 on Montrose Road where it meets Hitching Post Lane.

Police allege that Velasco lost control of the car, causing it to strike the center median, leave the roadway and hit a fire hydrant, electrical control box and several other objects before crashing into a utility pole.

One of four occupants in the car, Kristin Ventura, 19, of Germantown, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Days later, a second passenger, Kailey Briana Vigil, 19, of Rockville, died in a local hospital after she was transported from the scene.

A third passenger left the scene before officers arrived and the driver, later determined to be Velasco, was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, police said. 

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