Wichita man sentenced in Memorial Day crash that killed 80-year-old woman
A drunken driver who killed an 80-year-old Wichita woman in the Delano neighborhood on Memorial Day two years ago has been sentenced to two years in prison, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Dan Dillon.
Frankie Baxter died on May 31, 2021, after Scott Cabrales of Wichita slammed into the back of her 2015 Hyundai Tucson with a 2008 Mazda 6, forcing it into a curb and a tree. The crash happened around 4:20 p.m., in the 1400 block of West Maple, near Martinson, shortly after Baxter had turned off of Elizabeth.
Cabrales admitted to police that he drove after drinking at least two Natural Light “tall boy” beers in a Walmart parking lot and visiting with his aunt at her home, according to an affidavit released by the court. He told police he inadvertently hit the Tucson after trying to go around it because the driver “was traveling too slowly,” the affidavit says.
Police have said Cabrales was speeding and smelled of alcohol after the collision, and authorities found an open, cold 20-ounce can of beer under the Mazda before it was towed, the affidavit says.
Baxter was pinned in her vehicle and died at the scene.
Cabrales, 35, pleaded guilty on July 21 to one count of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence and one count of driving without proof of insurance, court records show. Sedgwick County District Judge Kevin Mark Smith imposed the sentence Wednesday, Dillon said.
