Man sentenced to 4 years, 8 months for fatal Murrieta crash

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A Winchester man who admitted guilt in the death of a 17-year-old Murrieta girl in a 2023 traffic collision was sentenced this week to four years and eight months in state prison, authorities said.

Nolan Shepard, 32, pled guilty in December to gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of Giovanna Rizzo, who was killed when Shepard’s GMC Sierra collided with a Nissan Titan in which Rizzo was a passenger with three others. The collision occurred at the intersection of Winchester and Keller Roads about 9 p.m. on June 1, 2023, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

An investigation by the California Highway Patrol indicated that the Sierra was heading north on Winchester Road and ran a red light, broadsiding the Nissan in the intersection. Rizzo was pronounced dead on scene and three others in the Nissan were injured.

In the December court appearance, Shepard also pled guilty to reckless driving causing serious injury and admitted to two allegations of great bodily injury, according to the District Attorney's Office. His sentencing took place on Tuesday.