Heartbroken family sees loved ones' accused killer in court

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A heartbroken family is now left to fight for justice as their loved ones' accused killer fights for his freedom.

"We're just all trying to show up for each other and be there for one another," Ernesto Orozco said. He joined his wife and her parents as Sean Guynes appeared in court Wednesday.

He faces four counts of murder after a fiery crash in Biola last Friday killed Sandy Carmona Rodriguez, her cousin Luis, and two others. Family members say Sandy was just 20 years old with dreams of becoming an ultrasound tech.

RELATED: Family remembers cousins killed in suspected DUI crash in Fresno County

"She was just coming home from a dinner," Orozco said. "You don't really expect something like that to happen."

Sandy and 18-year-old Luis were inside a Nissan Altima with the right-of-way when investigators say a Ford van failed to yield. Prosecutors argue Guynes was behind the wheel of that van and drunk.

"Sir, you do have a right to be arraigned today. At this time, are you willing to waive that right?" the judge asked.

Guynes did not enter a plea Wednesday, but a possible defense is already coming into view.

Action News has learned Guynes first told authorities he was a passenger, not the driver. His public defender latched on to that doubt as she objected to Action News being in court and told the judge there could be identity issues with the case.

"That's going to be his defense, 'I wasn't driving,'" Action News legal analyst Tony Capozzi said.

He points out the burden is on prosecutors to prove that Guynes was driving. Key evidence could include the vehicle's registration, bruises from seatbelts, and fingerprints.

"Whose fingerprints are on the steering wheel? If the fingerprints are only of the defendant, it's pretty clear he was driving," Capozzi said. "Now, if there are other fingerprints on there, he could make the argument 'I wasn't driving. It was another person who was doing that.'"

The victim's family is now left to mourn as the legal fight mounts.

"There is no end to this," Orozco said. "There's never going to be an 'OK, I'm good with this.' It's always going to be a broken heart type of thing."

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