An Oak Park man who killed a Newbury Park couple while driving 89 mph received 365 days in county jail Friday, Oct. 9, far less than the prison term prosecutors sought.
Neil Liam Reb, 22, was sentenced in Courtroom 12 of Ventura County Superior Court for the May 6, 2025, crash that killed Alejandro Ramirez, 77, and Maria Ramirez, 73, at the intersection of Via Las Brisas and Calle Del Prado. Reb had pleaded guilty Aug. 28 to two counts of felony gross vehicular manslaughter with a special allegation that the crime is a serious felony, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors had asked for three years and four months in state prison. California law allowed up to seven years and four months for the charges. The court imposed one year in county jail instead.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Nunez called the sentence inadequate. "A one-year county jail sentence for taking the lives of Alejandro and Maria Ramirez is inconsistent with the gross negligence of the crime," Nunez said in a statement released by the DA's office.
Nunez added that Reb was driving nearly twice the posted speed limit and that prosecutors sought a state prison term reflecting the gravity of the crimes and the impact on the victims' family.
Family members of the Ramirezes delivered victim impact statements at the sentencing. One daughter wrote that a 365-day sentence was "devastating to our family," adding that her parents "were worth infinitely more than that." Another daughter described losing both parents without a chance to say goodbye.
The crash occurred around 4 p.m. on May 6, 2025, when Reb was driving a 2024 Jeep Wrangler on Via Las Brisas at nearly twice the posted 45-mph speed limit. He broadsided a Volkswagen Tiguan carrying the Ramirezes at the intersection with Calle Del Prado. The collision sent one of the vehicles roughly 250 feet from the intersection, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. KEYT first reported the crash details.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Reb had minor injuries and declined medical treatment.
The Sheriff's Office arrested Reb on June 30, 2025, following its investigation. He remained free on $50,000 bail until the sentencing.
The sentencing judge was not identified in the DA's press release.
Residents with information about traffic safety concerns in Newbury Park can contact the Ventura County Sheriff's Thousand Oaks station at (805) 494-8200.
