A Springfield man was sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections for driving high on meth and causing the 2021 crash that took the lives of 25-year-old Amber Kendall and 57-year-old Felix Gonzalez.
In January, Gary Calhoun, 66, entered Alford pleas of guilty to one count of driving while intoxicated and causing the death of two or more people and one count of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
An Alford plea under Missouri law means a defendant does not admit guilt to a crime, but admits prosecuting attorneys have enough evidence against them that a court could reasonably convict them of a crime.
Judge Joshua Christensen, who was filling in for Judge Kaiti Greenwade at the sentencing hearing on April 1, gave Calhoun 15 years for the class B felony of driving while intoxicated and causing the death of two or more people and 180 days in jail for the misdemeanor DWI charge. Those sentences are to run concurrently with credit for time served.
Calhoun has been in the Greene County Jail since January of 2023 — a year and a half after the fatal Aug. 27, 2021 crash.
According to information presented in court Monday, prosecutors did not file charges for the fatal crash until after Calhoun was stopped for driving while intoxicated on July 30, 2022.
During this second incident, Calhoun again tested positive for methamphetamine.
Vehicle was ‘literally torn open'
According to investigators, Calhoun had meth in his system when he was driving northbound on Glenstone Avenue on Aug. 27, 2021, when he crossed the centerline and collided into a 2013 Kia Soul driven by Kendall.
Kendall’s vehicle then crashed into a 2017 Western Star tractor-trailer driven by Gonzalez.
Kendall was transported to a hospital where she died from her injuries. Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Greene County First Assistant Prosecutor Zachary McFarland showed photos from the crash scene at the sentencing hearing as well as a diagram of the crash to show the impact was “so severe and so intense” that it sent Kendall’s vehicle airborne and into the cab of the semi driven by Gonzalez.
“This is what is left of Ms. Kendall’s car,” McFarland said, displaying a photo of the wreckage. “You can see it is literally torn open.”
McFarland argued a prison sentence for Calhoun would send a message to others who might think about driving while intoxicated:
“If you kill someone, if you kill two people, you are going to prison,” McFarland said. “That is what this community expects.”
Case moved at ‘a snail's pace'
Gonzalez’s employer, Bruce Stockton with Wilson Logistics, wrote a letter to the court dated Jan. 31, 2024.
“My co-workers have watched, for over two years now, this case move at a snail’s pace through our court system as it relates to any justice for the families of Felix and Amber,” Stockton wrote in part. “Sadly, Calhoun was not even charged in this case by the prosecutor until a year ago, which was seventeen months after the crash.”
Stockton also came to the sentencing hearing and gave a victim impact statement. He spoke about how difficult it has been on the victims’ families and friends to have to wait “947 days” for this case to be resolved and for justice to be served.
“947 days waiting on Gary Calhoun to take responsibility,” Stockton said. “Instead, he chose to take an Alford plea.”
Mirna Gonzalez, the widow of Felix Gonzalez, spoke at the sentencing hearing.
“I was robbed. My children were robbed. My grandkids were robbed,” Mirna Gonzalez said. “Our lives have been devastated.”
Candie Cockrum, Kendall’s mother, sat on the front row in the courtroom gallery and cried throughout the sentencing hearing. She gave a victim impact letter for the prosecutor to read.
In her letter, Cockrum wrote that Kendall was her only child and that she is alone now.
The letter, which was also signed by Christopher Minear, Cockrum and Minear wrote they wanted the court to know how much Kendall was loved.
Calhoun speaks directly to victims’ family
In arguing for a lighter sentence, Calhoun’s attorney Chantel Kelly spoke about Calhoun coming from an intact military family, that he has a math degree and one of his children went to Harvard.
Kelly said it wasn’t until his marriage fell apart that Calhoun began using methamphetamine.
“His meth use didn’t start till he was 63 years old,” Kelly said. “He is 66. He doesn’t have this criminal history.”
Kelly said her client took an Alford plea not to avoid taking responsibility but because he could not remember what happened on the night of the fatal crash.
Before he was sentenced, Calhoun asked to address the court. Calhoun stood up and faced the families in the front row.
“I want to express my deepest and most sincere sentiments,” he said. “I am remorseful.
“My heart is filled with so much sorrow,” Calhoun said. “I am so sorry for your loss.”
Widow satisfied with judge's decision
Following the hearing, Mirna Gonzalez said she was satisfied with the judge’s decision.
“Justice has been served,” she said, adding that she would have liked a longer sentence but understands 15 years was the maximum allowed.
“But the best part is I won’t have to see him again,” she said.
