BEAUFORT, S.C. (April 1, 2025) – A Bluffton man who crashed his vehicle while intoxicated, killing a 4-month-old passenger, will spend 20 years in prison.
Gregorio Hernandez-Castillo pleaded guilty Tuesday in Beaufort County General Sessions Court to driving under the influence resulting in death. Starlette Guzman, who was not properly restrained in her child seat, perished in the May 2024 wreck. Hernandez-Castillo also pleaded guilty as indicted to child endangerment and driving under suspension.
In addition to the prison sentence, he must also pay $10,100 in restitution.
“This defendant has a history of drunken and irresponsible driving,” said Deputy Solicitor Mary Jordan Lempesis of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Tragically, an infant has now paid with her life for Mr. Hernandez-Castillo’s disregard for the law.”
Hernandez-Castillo was the driver in a single-vehicle crash at about 11:25 p.m. on May 12, 2024, near the intersection of Bluffton Parkway and Buck Island Road. Bluffton Police Department and S.C. Highway Patrol officers arrived to find Hernandez-Castillo’s gold Toyota Rav4 with heavy front-end damage in the median resting against a tree.
Guzman’s body was found in the road next to the vehicle and was unresponsive. First-responders performed CPR and used an AED in attempt to save Guzman’s life, but she died at the scene.
A female passenger, the child’s grandmother, was taken by ambulance to Savannah Memorial Hospital.
Hernandez-Castillo, who identified himself at the scene with a Mexican passport, claimed a deer ran out in front of the vehicle and that he lost control of the vehicle when he swerved to avoid it.
Inspecting the car, officers discovered the child seat was facing the wrong way and improperly strapped to the rear seat. They also found a 16-ounce can of beer in the driver’s side cup holder.
Hernandez-Castillo confirmed he was the driver and that he was driving about 60 mph in a 45-mph speed zone. He smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. He later was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.18 about an hour and a half after the crash.
Hernandez-Castillo’s criminal history includes convictions in South Carolina for driving under the influence and driving under suspension. He also was convicted of DUI in Georgia.
Circuit Court Judge Marvin Dukes handed down the sentence.
Lempesis is a deputy solicitor and has been a prosecutor at the 14th Solicitor’s Office since 2009.
