SENTENCED: 9 1/2 years for driver who killed West Seattle couple

| Crime | West Seattle news

(WSB/WCN photo from April 2021 crash scene)

Last month, we reported that 28-year-old Irene Plancarte-Bustos had pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide for the April 2021 North Burien crash that killed a West Seattle couple. Today, she was sentenced in the deaths of 35-year-old Lauren Dupuis-Perez and 38-year-old Kamel Dupuis-Perez, Arbor Heights residents with two children. Plancarte-Bustos had her own young child in her car, driving almost 60 mph wtth a blood-alcohol level of .24, according to court documents, when she hit the victims’ car, pushing it into the path of a pickup truck whose driver was unable to stop in time. After the crash on the Ambaum “S” curve, Plancarte-Bustos drove to the nearby Rainbow Mini-Mart, where officers found and arrested her. Today King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock sentenced her to what prosecutors proposed as part of the plea bargain – 9 1/2 years (explained in our July report). A defense document in the case file says that will mean Plancarte-Bustos, who had no prior criminal record, will likely be eligible for release in 2028.

Rhonda August 19, 2023 (1:01 am)

Justice properly served. She won’t be able to kill anyone with a vehicle for at least 5+ years.

Also John August 19, 2023 (6:12 pm)

Completely disagree! She should get minimum 20 years! She was drunk driving with her own children when she killed two others….and she left the scene of the accident. 9.5 years is a shot in the face to the family who lost their love ones.
- 1994 August 19, 2023 (9:57 pm)
  
  Yes! Minimum 20 years! or more. Killing people with your car because you are under the influence should receive longer prison terms similar to murder. WA State needs to revise the sentencing for vehicular homicide.
- Bernadette August 20, 2023 (8:00 pm)
  
  What a slap in the face to the 2 small children who will be growing up without their parents. This person who will be in jail for a short time will still be a parent to her child. Terrible injustice.

M August 19, 2023 (1:15 am)

I’ve never met Lauren or Kamel, but I think about them and their two kids often over the past 2.3 years. I really have no words..I do love the website you’ve linked above (http://www.laurenandkamel.com/) – great to see several ways to support their children.So, she would be eligible for release after seven years, five years after being sentenced? I hope her child is also in a safer home environment..

Mel August 19, 2023 (7:30 am)

Thank you for sharing this. I didn’t know them either but think of them often. As a parent of two young kids myself, I think of their story and how this could have been myself and my husband. I hope their children are doing Ok- hard to believe it’s been almost 2 years.

Alki resident August 19, 2023 (9:15 am)

I think of this family all the time since I use Ambaum daily. These kids were orphaned instantly because of this selfish woman. And all she gets is 9 1/2 yrs. And she’ll see her child grow up. Plus no doubt early release for “ good behavior “. God bless the Dupuis-Perez kids

Admiral Res August 19, 2023 (9:41 am)

My heart goes out to this family. I can’t believe these two kids have lost both of their parents. They have had to move in with friends. These friends have had their life turned upside down. The pain that this Irene has caused is immeasurable and to only receive 9.5 years. These kids and their family friends will be scarred for life. I’m so tired of these lax laws in Seattle. People do not take these laws seriously when they know that there will just be a slap on the hand. This doesn’t need to be a cruel world for the people who follow the law. It doesn’t need to be a cruel world for the people who break the law. It just needs to be an accountable and fair world so people know their expectations and rise to it. I wish we could bring these parents back for these kids…

wscommuter August 19, 2023 (12:17 pm)

Re “I’m so tired of these lax laws in Seattle” … you are factually incorrect. First, the crime occurred in Burien, not Seattle. And second, the law applied is a state statute, written in Olympia by the legislature. I realize that doesn’t fit your anti-Seattle rant, but facts matter.
K August 19, 2023 (2:07 pm)

This wasn’t a result of “lax laws” in Seattle. For starters, it didn’t happen in Seattle, but penalties related to crimes committed while drunk are relatively lenient nationwide.

anonyme August 19, 2023 (11:23 am)

There should be some kind of rider to the plea agreement that if this killer takes a single drink after her release she goes back to prison for life. She murdered two people. Driving drunk is not an “accident”, it is an intentional choice.

WestSeattleBadTakes August 20, 2023 (9:06 am)

Completely insane.

killer takes a single drink after her release she goes back to prison for life

jissy August 19, 2023 (11:29 am)

I’m curious if these are the only charges she will face as I believe there were 2 additional cars/victims of this recklessness, I knew one of them personally at the time. I hope there are other, pending charges for other victims that will add on time to this sentence, absolutely not long enough or punish enough for the death and destruction she caused.

WSB August 19, 2023 (2:41 pm)

See our previous story, linked in this one. Some charges were dropped in the plea bargain. There was one additional non-felony charge that was kept but the sentence for that was 364 days in jail, suspended.

Another One August 19, 2023 (8:36 pm)

I also think of the truck driver who slammed into them. How horrible.

Terremoto August 21, 2023 (4:56 pm)

9 1/2 years for killing TWO people? Two parents of two children. Let alone endangering her own child. Penalties for drunk driving are too lenient. No different than a loaded gun.