Captain Hacking was killed in a head-on collision March 31, 2016 along with his two children, Ellie and Grayson. The driver of the vehicle that hit the family was sentenced to two years in jail last week. (Wyndi Veigel/The Farmersville Times.)

A 2-year prison term was assessed the driver of a vehicle that killed a Nevada Volunteer Fire Department captain and his two children in 2016 on Hwy. 78 between Wylie and Lavon.

The verdict against Margarito Quintero Rosales, 35, on three counts of criminally negligent homicide was assessed Friday, Sept. 29, in a Collin County state district court. Rosales was an undocumented resident of Mexico and did not possess a driver’s license.

“We feel like the sentence should have been longer and we don’t feel like the punishment fit the crime. He killed three people by simply getting behind the wheel of a vehicle illegally. He had no drivers license, insurance and he was fatigued,” family friend Amy Cortez said.

The wreck killed Peter Hacking of Lavon and two of his children, Ellie Bryant, 4, and Grayson Hacking, 22 months. Hacking is survived by his wife, Courtney, and seven children.

Rosales was the driver of a Ford van that swerved into oncoming traffic on Hwy. 78 on March 31, 2016, striking the Hacking vehicle, a Toyota sedan, head-on. The Toyota was southbound and the van was traveling north. Investigators reported they believed that Rosales fell asleep at the wheel.

The 2-year prison sentence is the maximum allowed and was part of a plea bargain agreement under which the defendant will concurrently serve a 2-year federal term on a charge of re-entry of a deported alien. Rosales will receive credit for 537 days in jail he has already served.

Hacking managed computer systems for A.H. Belo Corporation and had served as a member of the Lavon Planning and Zoning Commission. He was studying at Texas A&M Commerce so that he could convert his British bachelor’s degree to a United States equivalent.

By Joe Reavis • Staff Writer • [email protected]

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