Man arrested in Christmas Eve crash that killed 2 at Osceola County hotel

Jerrod Deonta James faces charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide

Jerrod Deonta James (Osceola County Sheriff's Office)

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A 34-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in an Osceola County crash that killed two people on Christmas Eve in 2021, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jerrod Deonta James last year in the wreck that killed Angelina Joline Anderson and Giovanna Danaisha Shacqui Anderson.

According to troopers, James was driving a vehicle carrying four others when the car slammed into the Golden Link Hotel at the intersection of U.S. 192 and Vineland Road.

The FHP said James was driving while under the influence.

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News 6 spoke with Anderson’s mother earlier this month during an event hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Central Florida, or M.A.D.D.

“You don’t only take their lives, you kill their families too. We’re all broken. We all died that day,” Marion Areizaga said. “Angelina was the baby of eight.”

Areizaga said her daughter, who was 18 years old when she was killed, had just finished high school. She was in the JROTC, loved to travel and wanted to be a real estate broker.

James faces charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and driving with a suspended license involving death.

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About the Author:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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