Man Gets 30 Years to Life in Prison for Fatal DUI Collision in Chico
Above: Matthew Moen
Photos courtesy of the Butte County District Attorney’s Office
A Concow man has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for driving under the influence and causing a collision that resulted in the deaths of two people in 2022.
In a press release, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced that Matthew Arias Moen, 33, received the maximum prison sentence from Butte County Superior Court Judge Virginia Gingery after being convicted on two counts of second-degree murder.
Cassi Tejeda (L) and Courtney Kendall (R)
A jury found Moen guilty of causing the deaths of Cassi Tejeda, 22, and Courtney Kendall, 24, by driving intoxicated at more than 75 miles per hour through a 25-mile-per-hour school zone in Chico.
The collision occurred at around 4:50 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2022, near Neal Dow Elementary School. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Moen, driving northbound on Neal Dow Avenue, ran a red light at East 5th Avenue and collided with a Jeep driven by Tejeda. Kendall was a passenger in the vehicle.
Surveillance footage and witness accounts showed Moen’s vehicle speeding in the school zone before the incident, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The impact reportedly forced the Jeep into a nearby garage, resulting in the deaths of both Tejeda and Kendall.
Moen’s blood alcohol level was reportedly .26 percent at the time, over three times the legal limit. Jurors were informed this was Moen’s third DUI within ten years, with prior DUI convictions in Springfield, Oregon, in 2016 and Nevada City, California, in 2020.
Following his Nevada City conviction, Moen attended court-mandated DUI classes warning of the potential legal consequences, including murder charges, if future intoxicated driving resulted in fatalities.
Moen’s public defender requested the judge merge the two murder sentences into a single concurrent term of 15 years to life. Judge Gingery denied the request after hearing emotional statements from the victims’ families and friends.
Prosecutors also argued that Moen should face the maximum possible sentence due to the nature of the collision, Moen’s previous DUI record, and his apparent lack of remorse.
