‘I’m sorry for Mr. Valdez’s family’ | Man gets 12 years in prison for crash that killed 18-year-old motorcyclist

PHOENIX — The man identified as Marc Distel has been given 12 years in prison for a hit-and-run crash that killed an 18-year-old motorcyclist along northbound I-17 in Phoenix in 2024, according to 12News in the courtroom during the sentencing hearing on May 15.

Distel’s vehicle struck the back of the victim’s motorcycle near Union Hills Drive on Jan. 24, 2024, resulting in the motorcycle getting lodged in the front of the suspect’s car. The motorcyclist, identified as Eleazar Valdez Jr., then fell off his bike and was hit by another car, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

When the suspect’s car came to a stop, the driver was seen fleeing from the freeway on foot. 

Investigators later found Distel at a local hotel and interviewed him about the deadly crash. He admitted to hitting something while driving along I-17 and then abandoning his car, court records show.

Video of the crash from Eleazar Valdez’s 360 camera was played during the court hearing.

Prosecutors said you can see Distel get out of the car with the motorcycle still lodged in the front. There were nitrous oxide canisters found in his car as well, prosecutors said. The defense claimed new medications Distel was on made him pass out. However, the defense didn’t deny that the crash occurred. Prosecutors rebutted, saying that it didn’t matter; both were dangerous.

Eleazar Valdez’s sister, Dayanna Valdez, spoke during the hearing and reflected on his legacy.

“My brother was a person who always looked after my mother and me,” Dayanna Valdez said. “Watching all his dreams disappear so suddenly is something that destroys me every single day.”

Distel also spoke, saying he was sorry for all the Valdez family had suffered.

“If I could be able to trade my life for this young man to have his life back, I would in a heartbeat,” Distel said. “I was in shock and impulsively made the decision to walk to the hospital.”

The judge took everything into account and gave Distel 12 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and three years of probation upon release for leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

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