Oxnard Man Sentenced in High-Speed Oxnard Crash That Killed Two People

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Sharbel  Touma (DOB 06/09/03), of Oxnard, was sentenced by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Dusty  Kawai to three years, four months in state prison for a high-speed crash that killed two people. 

Touma previously pled guilty on March 16, 2026, to two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter  for driving 108 miles per hour in a collision that claimed the lives of Samuel Castro and Annette  Gomez. Prosecutors objected to the court’s sentence and urged a prison term of five years, four  months. 

On February 12, 2023, at approximately 12:06 a.m., Mr. Castro was driving westbound on West  Fifth Street in Oxnard with Ms. Gomez as his passenger. Mr. Castro attempted a U-turn from the  number 2 lane, crossing into the number 1 lane, when his vehicle was struck broadside by  Touma’s vehicle, which was also traveling westbound, in the number 1 lane. 

Event Data Recorder (EDR) information from Touma’s vehicle established that he was traveling  108.73 miles per hour one second before impact. The collision was captured on surveillance video. Both Castro and Gomez died as a result of the crash. 

“Based on the defendant’s extreme speed, the preventable nature of this tragedy, and the fact that  two lives were lost, we respectfully asked the court to impose five years, four months in state  prison,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Nuñez. 

Deputy District Attorney George Brietigam, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s  Office Serious-Violent Felonies Unit, prosecuted the case. 

Touma was remanded into custody following sentencing. In addition to the prison sentence, the  court ordered that Touma be prohibited from driving for the entire duration of his parole. 

Case: 2023007675 

Defendant Information: 
Sharbel Touma (DOB 06/09/03) 
Oxnard 

Charges pled guilty to: 

• (2 counts) PC 192(c)(1) – Vehicle manslaughter, non alcohol, gross negligence