Shawn Davari Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for DUI Crash

Published on May 22, 2025

Today, on May 22, 2025, Shawn Davari (57, of Clovis) was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison for one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury to elderly victims. The crash occurred in the city of Fresno at the intersection of Armstrong and Clinton Avenues and resulted in the death of the driver of the other vehicle and serious injuries to the passenger.

Davari’s sentence was enhanced due to two prior convictions for impaired driving offenses in 1994 and 1999. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Jon N. Kapetan of the Fresno County Superior Court after Davari pled to the charges on April 14, 2025.

On July 4, 2023, just after 5 p.m., Davari was driving his Ford Fusion southbound on Armstrong Avenue approaching Clinton Avenue. A Fresno couple in a Hyundai Elantra was stopped at the stop sign for westbound Clinton. As the Hyundai entered the intersection, Davari ran the stop sign and struck the driver’s side of the vehicle. The collision caused major damage to the Hyundai. The driver, Joe Castro (80, of Fresno), and his wife, Anna Castro (76, of Fresno), were both transported to Community Regional Medical Center for emergency medical treatment. Mr. Castro succumbed to his injuries later that day.

An investigation by the Fresno Police Department revealed that Davari’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.19%, and he was driving at a speed of 61 MPH at the time of the crash.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Fresno Police Department for their thorough investigation and dedication to this case.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Moss, with assistance from Senior District Attorney Investigator Ronnie Sims. It was prosecuted as part of the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program, which is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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