JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ariel Monteagudo, the man who pleaded guilty in November to hitting and killing Creekside High School graduate Trenton Stewart in a wrong-way crash, will now spend 12 years in prison.
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Monteagudo, who has previously served 10 years in prison for a separate deadly crash in Broward County, will also have his driver’s license suspended for the rest of his life, take part in court-ordered counseling, and spend time doing community service.
Action News Jax has been following this case since the crash first happened in May 2023. Monteagudo’s arrest report says he was going 111 miles per hour when he drove into the wrong lane of Old St. Augustine Road and hit Trenton head-on.
Trenton’s family says he had just come home to spend a few days with his family after finishing his first year as a football player at Stetson University. His mother says she’d missed a text from him the night of the crash saying he’d be going out to earn extra money driving for DoorDash. It was the last thing he told her.
“I saw two police officers at my door…and remember feeling my heart stop,” said Mandi Stewart, Trenton’s mother, giving a statement through tears during Monteagudo’s sentencing, “the pain was immediately debilitating, my life came to an end. The defendant took away my entire universe.”
The courtroom was filled with Trenton’s family, friends, and former teammates. The family’s lawyer played a 20-minute video during the sentencing with testimony from his teammates and coaches at Stetson University, many of which described Stewart as someone who always looked to support and serve others, someone who never quit.
“Trenton was the closest person to perfect when it came to a best friend,” one of Trenton’s friends said during the hearing, “he left a mark on this world so distinct, it’s something time cannot erase.”
Before getting his sentencing, Monteagudo shared his own statement, with some of it directed at Trenton’s parents.
“I am very sad and broken,” Monteagudo said, “when my mom first told me what happened, I cried for days. I still cry at Trenton’s passing.”
The Stewart family says they’re grateful for the sentence the judge handed down, but they don’t feel a true sense of justice for the loss of their son. They’re now trying to push state lawmakers to pass what they call the “Trenton Stewart law,” which would raise the maximum sentence for vehicular homicides in Florida to 30 years, from 15, especially for those charged multiple times, like Monteagudo.
“It doesn’t make sense that you can kill two people and get the sentence you saw today,” Mandi Stewart said.
Part of the family’s advocacy work is being done through the Trenton Stewart Foundation, which they created to raise money towards scholarships for student-athletes, like their son, in honor of Trenton’s life.
The Stewarts, ultimately, hope no other family feels their pain.
“This is in the interest of the community,” said Robert Stewart, Trenton’s father, “it’s not just about Trenton at this point, it’s about protecting others.”
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