ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man from Orange County was sentenced to 50 years in prison for shooting and killing a father in a fit of road rage last January on East Colonial Drive.
Nicholas Carrasquillo was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder. Prosecutors say he was driving on East Colonial Drive when he claimed the victim, 30-year-old David “Alix” Sligh, cut him off in traffic. After they exchanged words, Carrasquillo shot Sligh, who later died, according to law enforcement.
During testimony at Thursday’s hearing, Sligh’s grandmother, Betty Ahmed, listed all the reasons she will miss her grandson. She expressed her sadness that he won’t be there to help care for her, as he had promised, while she and her husband age.
Ahmed told the judge that she researched how to write a victim impact statement, only to realize there’s no perfect way to convey how the events at the crime scene will have a lifelong impact on her family.
“We will not be able to see him raise his son, who has lost whatever a child deserves,” she said.
Carrasquillo’s attorneys said they tried to argue during the trial that he felt threatened, but prosecutors contended that Carrasquillo’s actions were not justified and that Sligh didn’t even have a gun.
According to court documents, his life was taken in just 51 seconds.
Shannon Sligh, the victim’s wife, said, “That’s the biggest thing I want the world to take away, is that my son could have been in the car, and my husband’s life is gone, and he can never come back.”
That sentiment reflects part of the reason she said she is not satisfied with the sentence.
“I would rather him serve life, a life for a life,” she added.
For now, the family must figure out how to move forward with their lives, holding onto memories of David Sligh, who was a husband, father, brother, son, grandson and friend.
“His laugh. He had the most contagious laugh. He was a great uncle to my daughters and a wonderful brother,” said David Sligh’s sister, Jessica Cerino.
Shannon Sligh also mentioned that she wears a necklace every day that holds his ashes.
The family is now working on ways to raise awareness about the dangers of road rage.
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