A judge sentenced a Campo man Feb. 18 to a concurrent term of 15 years to life in prison for the deaths of his two passengers who were killed when the drunk driver hit an oak tree on Buckman Springs Road.
A number of loved ones of both men, Dillon Cody Wiltfong, 26, and Johnny Ray Meyer, Jr., 23, asked El Cajon Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser to hand down two consecutive terms of 15 years or 30 years.
A jury convicted Ryan Gary Renz, 27, on Oct. 30, 2019 of two counts of second-degree murder as well as two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the Jan. 25, 2017, crash.
“I think this is a fair sentence,” said Fraser. “One act did kill two people.”
“If the victims were here, they would say ‘punish him, not destroy him’,” said the judge. “You can feel the pain he feels for killing two friends. He has genuine remorse.”
Fraser said Renz will have to serve a minimum of 15 years before he has any chance of parole.
“I didn’t like it,” said Marcella Wiltfong, the mother of Dillon Wiltfong. “I wanted him to have consecutive terms, and I didn’t like it.”
Reached Sunday, the Campo mother said “I’ve come to terms with it…If he’s remorseful, I hope he carries it deeply.”
Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans and all relatives of the victims urged Fraser to impose consecutive terms to total 30 years to life. She said he was driving at 90 mph when he failed to negotiate a curve and had a previous drunk driving conviction.
Karen McIntyre, who spoke on behalf of her sister and the Meyer family, told Renz “you stole two lives from this earth.” She said Renz drove Wiltfong’s vehicle, but “no one forced you to drive. You chose to drive.”
“You had no place to be. You had no reason to drive like that,” said McIntyre. “The Christian in me prays for your soul. The mother in me wants damnation.”
Meyer was Renz’s cousin and often went by his nickname of John-Boy. Wiltfong did two military tours in Afghanistan in the Army.
“You chose to drive down the wrong road of life,” said McIntyre. “You have so fractured our family.”
“Our small mountain town is like family,” said Katie Holmes, the aunt of Myers.
“Bitterness just makes everything worse. I encourage you all to look to God for grace,” said Holmes.
“Ryan, I want you to know I love you. I’m sorry you have to learn this lesson,” said Holmes.
“I miss my little brother,” said Amanda Wiltfong, adding that Dillon Wiltfong survived “two deploys (in Afghanistan), but he could not survive being a friend to Ryan Renz.”
Renz’s attorney, Audrey Kyu, urged the judge to impose one concurrent term of 15 years to life.
“He’s going to spend the rest of his life to make up for…(killing) his two best friends,” said Kyu. “He’s demonstrated remorse from the very beginning.”
Said Renz: “I was duly responsible. I was stupid. I could blame it on the alcohol, but a lot of it was me.”
“I have a huge hole in my life and heart. I have to change everything about myself,” said Renz, acknowledging he had “an addiction to alcohol.”
“I will change myself. I hope that will bring everyone a small amount of peace,” said Renz.
The audience also included Renz’s family members including his mother and grandmother. His mother said she especially felt bad for the two mothers of the victims.
The prosecutor said Renz was convicted of DUI in 2015, and he signed a page acknowledging that if he drove again while intoxicated and someone died, he could be charged with murder.
Fraser gave him credits of spending 1,119 days in jail since his arrest and fined him $10,644.
The jury convicted Renz after deliberating 4-5 hours and two jurors also attended the sentencing.