Drunk driver who drank 23 beers ran over two children and killed them

Published: 09:12 EDT, 14 October 2026 | Updated: 09:12 EDT, 14 October 2026

A South Carolinian driver who drank 23 beers before killing two children in a car crash has been sentenced to four decades in prison.

Eri Otoniel Roberto Perez, 31, pleaded guilty in Seventh Judicial Circuit Court for killing Dereon James Robinson, 12, and Mikhail-Lee Smith, nine, while they were riding their bikes in April earlier this year.

According to Spartanburg County Detention Center documents, Perez has been charged with a felony DUI resulting in death, driving with no license and driving with an open container of alcohol.

He will serve a combined 40 years in prison with a $20,000 fine.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office reported that the crash occurred around 12.25pm on Asheville Highway near Brock Street.

Robinson and Smith (pictured) were both transported to Spartanburg Medical Center before they died from their injuries.

Eri Otoniel Roberto Perez, 31, pleaded guilty in Seventh Judicial Circuit Court for killing Dereon James Robinson, 12, (left) and Mikhail-Lee Smith (right), 9, while they were riding their bikes in April earlier this year.

Perez was driving a 2016 Honda Accord at high speed while intoxicated when he lost control of the vehicle. The car ran off the side of the roadway and hit the two children who were riding their bikes on the sidewalk.

According to the Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Perez admitted in court to drinking 15 beers the night before the crash and then another eight the morning of the accident.

When officials measured his blood alcohol level the results were at .264 percent. In South Carolina, an adult driver’s BAC limit must be below .08 percent.

‘My son was a great child. He was smart, intelligent, humble, a child of God. He loved his family, and he’d do anything for his family. He was my best friend, and I’m lost without him,’ Nikkita Christopher, Mikhail-Lee’s mother, said in court.

‘He has devastated these families’ lives, as well as his own. He prays for them every day and will continue to pray for them for the rest of his life, because he has to live with the consequences of his decisions,’ Perez’s defense attorney said in court.

Perez admitted in court to drinking 15 beers the night before the crash and then another eight the morning of the accident.

Both boys were transported to Spartanburg Medical Center before they died from their injuries.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Michael D. Morin, the Spartanburg County Public Defender, to speak with Perez’s defense attorney for comment on his behalf.

‘There is no excuse. There is no lack of knowledge of the dangers, not only to society, but also the consequences to a defendant if they are drinking and driving,’ Circuit Court Judge Daniel Hall said in court.

‘As Dereon Robinson’s mother my chest hurts my eyes are heavy my soul is empty holding my son that day, I died with him piece of me i can never and will never get back my son was only 12 he had his whole life ahead of him,’ Denise Wilson, Robinson’s mother, wrote in a Facebook statement.

‘This is a parent’s worst nightmare – when you see children die like this because of someone’s lawlessness and total disregard for those around him,’ Solicitor Barry Barnette told FOX Carolina.

Shortly after the accident, David Matthews, a bike safety activist, held a memorial event at the site of the crash and placed ‘ghost bikes’ to honor both children’s lives.

‘I feel for my boys and I wish and pray every day that I could change all the feel and hold now and in the year going forward we still have to go forward and life hasn’t stopped we still have to place a smile,’ Wilson wrote in a Facebook statement.

Following Perez’s arrest, the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a detainer. The agency claimed Perez illegally immigrated to Spartanburg County from Mexico but did not provide evidence to support the statement.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Denise Wilson, Robinson’s mother and Nikkita Christopher, Mikhail-Lee’s mother for comment.