Driver in bus wreck that killed 3 found guilty

LAPLACE, La. (AP) - Sentencing is set April 9 for the bus driver blamed for a 2016 crash on Interstate 10 that killed three people.

Jurors on Thursday found 38-year-old Denis Amaya-Rodriguez guilty of negligent homicide. He faces up to five years in prison on each of three counts connected with the deaths of St. John the Baptist Parish Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin, Vontarous Kelly and Jermaine Starr. Amaya-Rodriguez’s attorney claimed that he was given a defective “party bus” to drive a group of people from Metairie to Baton Rouge to look for flood recovery work.

The New Orleans Advocate reports Amaya-Rodriguez faces other charges including the negligent injuring of more than 30 other people and driving without a license. He also faces the likelihood of deportation.

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Information from: The New Orleans Advocate, http://www.neworleansadvocate.com