A man has been sentenced to 22 years for a drunk driving crash that killed two young women from Clarkston and their friend from Hawaii
The victims were Abriauna Hoffman and Magdalyn “Maggie” Ogden, both 18, from Clarkston, and their friend Hunter Balberdi, 19, from Hawaii. They were on their way to see the sunrise at the Grand Canyon for Maggie’s birthday when the crash happened on October 10, 2022.
Acosta hit them with his SUV near Table Mesa Road, and sadly, two of the women died at the scene, while the third passed away later in the hospital. His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit, which played a big role in the case.
The sentencing took place after Judge Sam Meyer took over from the original judge, who stepped down after reading heartfelt letters from the victims’ families. Maggie’s mom, Samantha, expressed gratitude for the community’s support and shared how deeply the loss affected everyone.
She also mentioned how hard it was to relive the tragedy in court and emphasized the need for better safety measures against wrong-way drivers in Arizona. It’s a tough situation, and the community is still healing from this heartbreaking loss.
