WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — A youth pastor drove his three children to a taco restaurant after a church concert. By the end of the night, his 8-year-old daughter was dead — and he was under arrest.
Joel Leiniz, 38, is charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter following the January 17 crash that killed his daughter, Zoe.
What Happened That Night
Leiniz was driving his three children down Military Trail in an Audi Q7 SUV when police say he was traveling at a dangerously high rate of speed while impaired.
He told investigators he swerved to avoid another vehicle — and surveillance footage confirmed a second car was present. But what the SUV’s own event data recorder revealed was far more damning.
Leiniz was driving 104 mph in a 40 mph zone.
He hit the brakes just two seconds before the SUV crashed into a concrete pole on the side of the road.
Zoe, sitting in the back seat, was rushed to the hospital and did not survive her injuries. Police also noted that one of the three children in the car had not been wearing a seat belt.
Blood tests later showed Leiniz had a blood-alcohol content of 0.097 at the time of the crash — above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.
At the hospital, Leiniz told officers he “did not think he was speeding because he had kids in the car.”
A Family Already Carrying Grief
Leiniz had served as a youth pastor and ministry director at New Covenant Church in the area.
Just one year before the crash, he had lost his wife to cancer. He and his three children were living on Social Security benefits and donations from their community.
He was arrested Sunday and is being held on $75,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for August 18.
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