A Fresno man was sentenced Monday to five years plus 15 years to life in state prison after being convicted in a fatal DUI crash that killed a passenger and seriously injured another, according to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

Kimsol Ban, 45, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury.

Prosecutors said the crash occurred April 3, 2022, just before midnight, when Ban was driving eastbound on Highway 168 near the McKinley Avenue off-ramp. Authorities said Ban veered off the roadway, traveled down an embankment and crashed into a tree.

Ban’s girlfriend, Sophal Srey, who was in the front passenger seat, was ejected from the vehicle and suffered catastrophic injuries. She remained on life support for more than two weeks before dying April 19, 2022. A rear-seat passenger, Tithirry Chheang, sustained serious injuries, including a fractured vertebra.

At trial, Ban testified he had been at a party earlier that evening and chose to drive after consuming several beers and shots of Hennessy. Toxicology results showed his blood alcohol concentration was 0.377%, more than four times the legal limit.

Authorities said Ban had a prior DUI conviction in 2011, during which he was advised that driving under the influence and causing a death could result in a murder charge. Following that conviction, he completed a three-month DUI program and attended the “Scared Stiff” program.

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