Man guilty of killing sisters in DUI crash sentenced to decades in prison

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A 22-year-old man whose DUI crash left two young sisters dead was sentenced to 20 years in prison on two counts of DUI involuntary manslaughter.

According to court documents, 22-year-old Zyan A. Stevens received a 10-year sentence for each DUI involuntary manslaughter charge during a hearing on Friday, Aug. 15.

His guilty plea and eventual sentencing come more than a year after police said Stevens was driving north on Old Wrexham Place in the early hours of March 1, 2024 when the car ran off the road and hit a tree.

The passengers in the car, sisters 5-year-old Ava Turner and 9-year-old Ivey Burch, died at the scene. Stevens was then taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

9-year-old Ivey Birch and 5-year-old Ava Turner. (Photos provided by family.)

8News spoke to Sydney Birch, the sisters' mother, weeks after the crash, who said that Stevens was babysitting the sisters that night.

Months later, in July, Stevens was charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child neglect in connection to the crash. While Stevens received sentences for two, the court will not proceed with the remaining charges.

According to authorities, an investigation indicated that both speed and the "lack of ensuring proper use of safety restraints" impacted the severity of the crash.