Raymond Morales Mercado has been sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by 9 years of probation for DUI Manslaughter. The defendant rear-ended a truck in Collier County, killing a passenger in his vehicle.
Assistant State Attorney Mara Marzano of the Traffic Homicide Unit prosecuted this case.
On December 7, 2022, the defendant was driving northbound on Collier Boulevard in a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with two passengers, a female in the front seat and a male in the back seat. Ahead of the defendant was another pickup truck, stopped at a red light, at the intersection of Manatee Road and Collier Boulevard.
The defendant drove into the back of the truck stopped at the light. The male in the backseat of the Tacoma was unrestrained and was thrown into the front windshield and died on scene.
The defendant had his blood drawn at a hospital and his blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit, leading to his arrest.
Florida Highway Patrol investigated this case with the assistance of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director