GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A judge has sentenced a man to prison for his involvement in a crash that killed a child in June 2021.
On Monday, Donnie Cobb, 47, appeared in Gaston County court and pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to a deadly crash that left Liam Lagunas, 6, dead. Cobb pleaded guilty to five charges and was sentenced to serve between 262 and 337 months (22-28 years) in prison.
The crash happened on Saturday, June 26, 2021, around 9:30 p.m. when Cobb and Gracie Eaves, 21, were racing each other and crashed on U.S. 74 near Sparrow Spring Road.
According to police, Eaves and Cobb were driving around 100 mph when the two cars made contact and forced Cobb's car across a grassy median into oncoming traffic.
Cobb's car then struck a car occupied by Santiago Lagunas and Liam, his son. Liam died hours later at a local hospital. Investigators said Liam was properly buckled in his seat.
Cobb and Eaves were arrested following the crash. Authorities charged Cobb with second-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, driving while impaired, speed competition, and reckless driving. Eaves was given similar charges, with the exception that she faced an involuntary manslaughter charge rather than a murder charge.
Eaves pleaded guilty on Sept. 6 and was subsequently sentenced to 16-29 months for the involuntary manslaughter charge and 25-42 months for the assault charge. These will run consecutively, bringing her total prison sentence to 41-71 months.
"As parents ourselves, this case was very dear to myself and my assistant district attorney, Stephanie Hamlin," said Travis Page, Gaston County District Attorney. "We have worked as hard as we can to bring justice for this family, and we will continue to work with Liam’s family to further his legacy."