Devin Matthew Long, the Jamestown man who led Ceres Police on a high-speed chase ending in a horrific Modesto crash that killed his girlfriend, has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and auto theft.
On April 13 Long, 26, pled guilty in Stanislaus County Superior Court to all three charges. He also admitted an enhancement for fleeing the scene of the crime. Judge Thomas D. Zeff then sentenced Long to serve 15 years and eight months in state prison.
Long admitted stealing a black Toyota Avalon from a residence in Jamestown on Dec. 17, 2019. Early the next day the car appeared in Ceres parking lot where an officer noticed it at 1:30 a.m. The patrol officer suspected something was up with the occupants of the car as it was parked in the Orchard Park business complex at Mitchell and Don Pedro roads. When the officer rolled toward it to investigate, Long turned on the headlights and quickly left the lot. The officer attempted to get close enough to read the license plate as it turned onto Mitchell Road as a second officer began to tail it. Officers attempted to stop the Toyota after it made an eastbound turn onto Service Road from Mitchell Road. Long pulled into the Chevron gas station east of Mitchell Road to stop briefly before accelerating onto northbound Mitchell at a high rate of speed and blowing through the red light at Service Road.
Police deployed stop sticks on Mitchell north of Fowler Road in an attempt to pop the tires but Long drove around them and continued northbound on Mitchell Road into Modesto at speeds of over 100 mph.
Ceres officers requested the help of the Sheriff’s Department helicopter which was unavailable. By the time the Toyota made its way north of Yosemite Boulevard the suspects had gained distance on police. As the Toyota entered the intersection of Oakdale Road and Scenic Drive, officers saw Long lost control, striking a tree on the east side of Oakdale Road where it split in two pieces on impact and started a fire.
The rear end of the Camry came to rest in the roadway and the front portion came to rest on the east side of the road, ejecting passenger Kendra Sanguinetti onto the ground.
Long emerged from the wreckage and ran towards the stores on the east side of Oakdale Road. Officers ran after Long but their attention was diverted to the mortally injured Sanguinetti who had been ejected from the car on the road amid the wreckage. Officers called for an ambulance and began providing first aid.
Modesto Police found Long approximately 40 minutes later hiding in a nearby trash enclosure.
A blood sample revealed that Long was under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol.
During the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Merrill Hoult read several victim impact statements on behalf of Sanguinetti’s family including one from her uncle, who told the court that “seeing her [Ms. Sanguinetti’s] smiling face will never happen again and that to me is a tragedy that could have so easily been avoided. It never had to happen. She and our family have had that stolen from us, and justice most certainly needs to take that into account.”
Both voluntary manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated are considered “strike” offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law that may be used to increase any future punishment for any felony convictions Long may receive after being released from prison.
Sanguinetti was wanted for a felony assault with a deadly weapon warrant issued by Sonora Police Department. She also had several outstanding misdemeanor warrants for her arrest.
