Left inset: Rebekah Dauz (GoFundMe). Right inset: Maximiliano Chavez (KTNV/YouTube). Background: The scene of the deadly crash that Maximiliano Chavez caused in Las Vegas (KTNV/YouTube).
A drunk and stoned Las Vegas man is headed to prison for causing a multivehicle crash after blowing through a red light, which left several people critically injured, including a 9-year-old boy and his pregnant mother whose unborn baby died.
Maximiliano Chavez, 28, was sentenced to serve 16 to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in February to two counts of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and one count of reckless driving, according to court records. He was originally charged for causing the death of Rebekah Dauz's unborn child, "Baby Marlito," but the charges were dropped as part of Chavez's plea deal.
"I know I am going to go away, but I promise when I get out, I will be a better person," Chavez said at his sentencing hearing last Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Dauz reportedly spoke during the proceeding about how the September 2025 crash left her "physically and emotionally" scarred, leading to flashbacks and nightmares of her baby's ultrasound.
"Every scar on my body is a reminder of that day and my loss," Dauz said while fighting through tears, per the Review-Journal.
Chavez, who has previous DUI arrests on his record from 2017 and 2021, admitted to being drunk and stoned at the time of the September crash, with alcohol and THC both being in his system. He was speeding in his Jeep eastbound on Blue Diamond Road after drinking multiple cocktails and smoking marijuana when he ran a red light and hit a Subaru Forester with Dauz and her son inside, as well as a Toyota Sienna.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote in a Facebook post that because of Chavez's "reckless and selfish decision to drive impaired … a baby's life was stolen."
Prosecutors on Thursday described how Dauz's 9-year-old son, Isaiah, was in the ICU for several days after the crash and "close to death's door." The boy spoke about his recovery during the sentencing hearing.
"I am still healing and recovering slowly, but I believe I will continue to be better with time," Isaiah said. "I also want Mr. Chavez to know that I forgive him and I will be praying for him."
A GoFundMe launched for Dauz, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the crash, says she and her family had gone to a 4D ultrasound appointment "just before the accident," per the description.
"We watched in awe as he smiled, sucked on his thumb, and moved around so full of life," the fundraiser says. "We heard his strong heartbeat echo in the room, and we were all overwhelmed with love and excitement. That moment felt like a celebration of the life we were all preparing to welcome with open arms. We never imagined that soon after, everything would change."
Dauz and her family reportedly said after Chavez's sentencing that they were satisfied with the outcome.
"Judge Newberry gave the victim's family the justice they deserve," Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chad Lexis told the Review-Journal.
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