Driver guilty in Las Vegas DUI crash that killed pregnant woman

Jurors returned a guilty verdict Thursday against a man accused in a DUI crash that killed a pregnant woman and severely injured her boyfriend.

Christopher Walker, who was 32 when the crash occurred in January 2024, was found guilty of counts of DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, reckless driving resulting in death and reckless driving resulting in substantial bodily harm.

The collision on Interstate 15 took the life of 21-year-old Suzanne Chapel. She was about two months pregnant with her and her boyfriend Isaiah Armstrong’s child, Armstrong said this week.

Her family and Armstrong cried as a clerk read the verdict.

“I’m relieved,” said Laura Chapel, the victim’s mother, after the trial.

She added: “I feel like receiving this justice today was an important step in healing.”

Walker’s previous trial in May ended in mistrial, but the jury reached its verdict in his trial this week in only two hours.

Trial arguments

Prosecutors argued Walker had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and was speeding when he hit the back of the car containing Armstrong and Chapel. Armstrong’s car had run out of gas and he had pulled over to the left shoulder.

Defense attorney Craig Mueller criticized the police investigation and told jurors the crash was Armstrong’s fault.

Armstrong testified during the trial that he spent nine to 12 days in a coma after the crash. He also suffered injuries including a traumatic brain injury, hairline neck fractures and broken ribs, he said.

Mueller suggested Armstrong’s driving ability was impaired because he had smoked marijuana.

Armstrong testified that he used marijuana recreationally and had last smoked the night before the crash.

In his closing argument, Mueller argued Armstrong pulled in front of Walker. That’s what Walker told police, he said.

But evidence — including a statement from Walker — indicated the crash occurred in the shoulder, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Colleen Baharav.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Chad Lexis said an accident reconstructionist found Armstrong’s car did not move into the travel lane until after it was hit.

Lexis also told jurors that another person’s contributory negligence would not exonerate Walker unless the other person’s negligence was the only cause of the injury. “That is one impossible scenario” in Walker’s case, he said.

The prosecutor praised the jury’s verdict in a statement following the trial, calling Walker’s behavior “egregious.”

Family remembers Chapel

After the verdict, Chapel’s family gathered outside the courtroom and talked about the young woman they lost.

Adam Chapel, her older brother, described her as “the most genuine person.”

“I feel bad for anybody who didn’t get to hear her laugh,” he said.

Armstrong described Chapel as his “meant-to-be wife.” Nothing could bring her back, he said, but after the verdict, he felt better that her loved ones would receive “some justice.”

Family supporter Samantha Summers-Rivas spoke of her frustration.

“It’s a broken record around here and the reality is Nevadans can no longer support this type of behavior and there not be any kind of accountability,” she said.

Walker was also accused of DUI in 2018, according to Lexis.

“Our lives are impacted all the way around,” said Elston Newsom, Armstrong’s father. But Walker, he said, “goes home to his family, he gets to enjoy vacations, he gets to go to Thanksgiving.”

He added: “His after is the same as before.”

Chapel’s mother is now raising her daughter’s first child, a little girl who was five months old at the time of the crash.

“My granddaughter lost her mom, so nothing will fix that,” said Laura Chapel. “But I’m grateful that he’s going to be held accountable.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.