A truck driver who drove on the wrong side of a Nevada highway and killed three motorcyclists will serve between four and 10 years in prison, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Claude Rafiki, 29, was behind the wheel during the horrific crash on March 23, which killed recently engaged couple Owen Hart, 22, and Athena Taylor, 21, as well as their father Jeremy Gebo, 44.
Rafiki, an African immigrant who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, pleaded guilty in June to three counts of reckless driving resulting in death.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of between four and 10 years in prison, which was the maximum penalty agreed to in Rafiki’s plea agreement. After victim impact statements from the victims’ families, an emotional Judge Joe Hardy agreed to sentence Rafiki to the maximum sentence.
A terrifying video recorded by the dash camera of Rafiki’s 18-wheeler showed him veering off the yellow center line onto the wrong side of the road for nearly 30 seconds.
The motorcyclists Claude Rafiki would soon run over are seen driving behind the white Chevy pulling a trailer.
The dash cam captures the split second before Rafiki runs over the motorcyclists.
Pictured: Rafiki reacts to the families’ statements about the impact of the tragedy on the victim. He apologized and prayed that they would one day forgive him.
In court on Wednesday, prosecutor Yu Meng said Rafiki was “driving a nuclear bomb on the road.”
On the day of the accident, Rafiki was driving on State Route 163 near Laughlin, a small gambling town about 90 miles south of Las Vegas.
When he swerved into the opposite lane, he nearly collided with a grey pickup truck.
After dodging the truck, Rafiki inexplicably stayed on the wrong side of the road for another 15 seconds until he collided with Hart, Taylor and Gebo, all of whom were on motorcycles.
Several other motorcyclists joined the ride, including Hart’s parents, who were celebrating his 22nd birthday.
They had to witness the death of their little son.
Pictured: Owen Hart, 22, and Athena Taylor, 21. The pair were killed when Rafiki crashed into them on the road.
Taylor shows off her engagement ring as her boyfriend Hart stands next to her.
Jeremy Gebo is photographed while his daughter kisses him. Gebo was the third person to die in the accident
Gebo was part of a motorcycle crew riding on State Route 163 near Laughlin on the day of the crash.
“I feel guilty for leaving my son on the side of the road at the crime scene while it was being investigated; it all feels so wrong and unnatural,” Melissa Hart, Owen’s mother, told the court on Wednesday.
“I’m left thinking about how scared they were, whether they suffered, a million questions and ‘what ifs’,” she added.
The courtroom was packed with relatives of all the victims, and it was the first time Rafiki was able to hear from them.
“March 23, 2024 is the day our families’ lives were shattered and our hearts were broken,” Hart’s aunt, Cindy Russell, said on the stand.
Nicole Taylor, Athena Taylor’s mother, had harsher words for the truck driver.
“He took three lives and now he will walk away unscathed,” he said. “I hope this falls on his shoulders every day of his miserable life.”
Gebo’s daughter, Natia Reed, also spoke.
“The way he passed away was so sudden that there was no time to say goodbye,” he said.
Rafiki apologized to the families in court and expressed hope that he would one day be forgiven.
“I pray for you, that you forgive me,” Rafiki said.
Melissa Hart, Owen’s mother, is pictured holding a tissue to her face as she talks about the guilt she felt “for leaving my son on the side of the road at the crime scene while it was being investigated – it all feels so wrong and unnatural.”
Nicole Taylor, Athena Taylor’s mother, had harsher words for the truck driver, telling him she hoped what he did “falls on his shoulders every day of his miserable life.”
Gebo’s daughter, Natia Reed, also spoke out, commenting on how “sudden” her father’s death was.
Prosecutor Yu Meng says Rafiki was “driving a nuclear bomb on the road” on the day of the accident. Rafiki is seen looking at him
Rafiki had a valid Michigan commercial driver’s license, but his two-year medical certification was set to expire on March 24, the day after the crash, according to documents obtained by 8 News Now.
Michigan drivers must present an updated medical clearance before it expires, something Rafiki never did. His commercial driver’s license has been invalid since March 24.
His medical certification did not list any health restrictions that would prevent him from driving, but prosecutors revealed that Rafiki took medication for epilepsy.
A Nevada State Highway Patrol trooper also noted that Rafiki was driving in the No. 1 lane, the lane closest to the center line, and not in the No. 2 lane as required for semi-trucks.
Meng said Rafiki’s dashcam recorded him driving down the highway for 10 minutes before the brutal collision.
Even more damning, Meng added that she believes Rafiki manipulated his records to make it look like he was taking turns with someone else when he was the only one driving.
“Even though he’s a hard-working man and he’s trying to do this, he’s doing it at the expense of everyone else’s safety,” Meng said.
To this day, investigators remain unaware of the true cause of the accident.
The judge has ordered Rafiki to pay a fine of $6,000, although that is unlikely to be the end of his financial penalty as the families could file civil lawsuits against him.
