UPDATE 7/11/23:

Jarol Leiva-Navarro entered a guilty plea on July 10, 2023. He pleaded guilty to all three of his charges:

  • One felony count of DWI resulting in the death of another.
  • One misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner.
  • One misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license.
Jarol Leiva-Navarro mugshot

Leiva-Navarro’s sentencing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2023.

Original article published April 13, 2022:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A man charged with the death of another driver last year is scheduled to appear at a pre-trial conference on April 26.

Jarol Leiva-Navarro is charged with DWI-Death of Another Not a Passenger and two misdemeanors after crashing into a vehicle in December 2021. According to the probable cause statement, police responded to a vehicle crash at the intersection of South Glenstone and East Portland. When officers arrived they saw that a driver was actively being administered CPR.

A black Saturn was on its roof and a green Dodge Charger had extensive damage. Next to the Charger was Leiva-Navarro, who was complaining of leg pain. The driver of the Saturn, later identified as Colby Compton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness said the Charger was traveling south on South Glenstone at an extremely high rate of speed. Another witness said that the Charger was racing another vehicle at the time and that the two vehicles were weaving in and out of traffic. The Saturn was northbound on South Glenstone and turned left onto Portland with the traffic signal flashing yellow arrow when the Charger, who had the green light, struck the Saturn on the passenger side.

Police obtained video surveillance that showed the Saturn immediately flipped on its driver’s side and then rolled onto its roof.

Leiva-Navarro was transported to Mercy Hospital where an officer spoke with him about the crash. Leiva-Navarro said that he was driving 50 mph before the crash and admitted to drinking a beer and smoking marijuana earlier in the day. The officer conducted a DWI investigation and obtained a PBT breath sample showing .092.

Officers obtained a search warrant and pulled the data from both vehicles. The data from the Charger showed that five seconds before the crash the Charger was going 110 mph. Approximately 1/10th second prior to the crash the Charger’s speed was approximately 90 mph.

Lab results of Leiva-Navarro’s blood showed he had a blood alcohol count of .110. Police ran a background check and discovered Leiva-Navarro had two prior entries for operating a vehicle without a license.