(Tribune News Service) — A 38-year-old man who admitted to driving drunk and speeding on a highway outside Las Vegas, causing a crash that killed an airman on her way to work, was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison on Tuesday, a court spokesperson confirmed.

Hetsel Campos, 38, who had pleaded guilty to DUI resulting in death, was speeding at about 117 miles per hour when he struck a car driven by Natalie Villegas, 23, killing her, on U.S. Highway 95 near Creech Air Force Base on April 13, 2024, court records show.

Villegas, who died in the crash, had spent about four years working at the air force base, where she was a sensor operator for remotely piloted aircraft. She grew up between Grand Prairie and Dallas, Texas, and was the only active military member in her family, her father, Juan Villegas, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal days after the crash.

“People need to be aware that a beautiful soul was taken,” Villegas said at the time. “Someone who gave their life for their country was taken from us horrifically.”

A plea agreement, filed on March 10, stated that prosecutors would not suggest the length of time Campos should spend in prison. As a part of the agreement, Campos, who, according to online court records, posted his $100,000 bail days after the crash, would also be released from electronic monitoring pending adjudication.

District Judge Tara Clark Newberry ordered Campos to serve six to 20 years in the Nevada Department of Corrections, said District Court spokesperson Mary Ann Price.

Under Nevada law, the minimum prison sentence for a person convicted of DUI resulting in death cannot exceed eight years, meaning Campos’s penalty was two years short of the harshest possible.

Joshua Tomsheck, Campos’s lawyer, told the Review-Journal via text message that after six years, his client would be eligible for parole.

Campos was also ordered to pay restitution to Villegas’ family. Juan Villegas and Natalie Villegas’ mother, Carol Serrano, could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday. ©2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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