A 23-year-old who admitted to driving while under the influence when he struck and killed another motorist in Centreville will spend the next year in jail.
Gabriel Rincon of Fairfax was sentenced Friday (March 14) to a total of 11 years for the December 2023 crash that killed Sohail Iqbal, a 30-year-old Manassas man, on Route 29 near Stringfellow Road.
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Blanch, however, suspended all but one year of the sentence. Sentencing guidelines capped any period of active incarceration at 2 years and 1 month, court documents said.
Rincon is also subject to a 3-year probationary period following his release and will have his driver’s license suspended.
Law enforcement responded to the intersection around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2023. A preliminary investigation found that Rincon was driving south on Stringfellow Road in a BMW when he collided with a Hyundai Sonata that Iqbal was driving on Route 29.
“The collision forced the Hyundai across the intersection, onto the embankment, and into a concrete utility pole foundation,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release around the time of the crash.
Iqbal was pronounced dead at the scene. Rincon had suffered life-threatening injuries, according to police, though recovered enough to face charges.
The crash also damaged the pole, requiring repairs to a traffic signal that blocked lanes on Route 29 until around 4:20 p.m. that day, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Rincon, who was taken into custody three months after the crash, was believed to have been traveling more than 110 miles per hour — much faster than the posted 45-mile-per-hour speed limit for that stretch of road.
The 11-year sentence aligns with Virginia’s maximum penalties for DUI involuntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated charges. Rincon pleaded guilty to both charges in December.
Some members of Iqbal’s family, however, are unhappy with the outcome.
“The individual responsible for this accident has received what I believe to be an insufficient punishment, given the severity of the incident,” Awais Iqbal, the brother of Sohail Iqbal, told FFXnow.
“This lenient sentencing not only fails to deliver justice for my brother, but also sends a concerning message about the consequences of such reckless behavior,” Iqbal continued.
According to Virginia law, prosecutors must consult with victims in felony cases “to obtain the victim’s views about the disposition of the case, including the victim’s views concerning dismissal, pleas, plea negotiations and sentencing.”
However, the terms of any plea deals are up to the discretion of the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
“The victim’s wife was present and was supportive of the sentence,” a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office told FFXnow.
