Patrick Flores’ five-year-old sister still asks for him all the time and doesn’t understand why he is gone, his mother, Alexis Flores told jurors early Thursday evening.
“It affects me a lot. I lost a baby. I will never get him back … I hope none of you ever have to go through what I went through,” she told the nine-woman, three-man jury during the sentencing phase of the trial for her son’s killer.
The reason her two-year-old son died is because Matthew Paul Croley, 36, got behind the wheel of a car while he was quite intoxicated and sped down the interstate.
Croley was trying to “shoot the gap” between a semi and a passenger car when he clipped the back of the Flores car causing it to crash, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronnie Bowling noted in his closing argument.
Croley’s license had been suspended months earlier for driving while under the influence in Laurel County.
It took jurors about one hour and 45 minutes Thursday afternoon to convict Croley of the wanton murder of Patrick Flores, and first-degree assault for injuries caused to his mother during the crash.
Alexis Flores was seriously injured during the crash. She had to be flown out by emergency medical helicopter and spent nine days in ICU. Her injuries required nine surgeries, and she still has pain every day. If someone touches her side where she was cut open, it feels like she is being stabbed, she testified.
Defense attorney Jeremy Bryant had asked jurors to convict Croley of a lessor offense, such as vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter or reckless homicide in Patrick Flores death, and second-degree assault for the injuries to Alexis Flores.
The jury also convicted Croley on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for endangering Patrick Flores three siblings, who were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash, and for operating a vehicle while his license was suspended for driving while under the influence for an incident a few months earlier.
Bowling said he was not surprised by the verdict.
“We were very confident in the strength of our case. It was very well investigated and coordinated. Kentucky State Police did a wonderful job putting everything together with the help of Chad Foley from the Williamsburg Police Department. We are just glad we were able to answer all their questions and get them to pull the lever on murder,” Bowling said about the verdict.
Croley took the stand early Thursday evening apologizing for what he had done.
“I know it doesn’t mean anything. I really am truly sorry,” he told jurors and the Flores family from the witness stand. “I will never drink another drink of alcohol my entire life. It’s not worth it the way I hurt you people.”
Bowling told jurors in his closing argument that he thinks Croley was “totally sincere” in what he said from the witness stand and thinks the gravity of what he has done has caught up to him.
“Nothing you do can bring Patrick back. I know that, but there has to be some accountability,” Bowling told jurors asking them to sentence Croley to life in prison with the possibility of parole on the wanton murder charge. This means that if or when Croley is released from prison, he would be placed on parole supervision.
The three-day trial ended after jurors deliberated needing about 30 additional minutes to recommend a total sentence of 20 years in prison, which was the minimum sentence that Croley could have received for wanton murder.
“I would just say that Matthew Croley, since I met him, has always maintained that he just wanted to get what he deserved. I believe that 20 years is a satisfactory result both for him, the defense and society as well,” Bryant said early Thursday evening after the verdict and sentence were announced.
In regard to the 20-year prison sentence, Bowling said that he doesn’t prosecute a case with a particular sentence in mind.
“I just always want to make sure that the sentence is what the jury thinks is fair and it does respect what was lost. In this case there is really no number that can replace the life of a child. We just more than anything hope that the victim’s family gets some peace from it and this acts as a deterrent for other people in Whitley County before they get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. There are real consequences,” Bowling added.
On Jan. 31, 2024, Croley was driving on I-75 just before midnight when he struck a car in the rear while attempting to pass a semi.
Patrick Flores was ejected from the vehicle and found deceased at the scene.
Bowling told jurors in his closing argument that Croley was going at least 94 mph with a blood alcohol level at least twice the legal limit.
Judge Dan Ballou scheduled formal sentencing for Feb. 2.
Co-defendant Jayna Vorwerk, 24, of Arizona, was charged with facilitation to commit murder, facilitation to first-degree assault, and three counts of facilitation to first-degree wanton endangerment. She is scheduled to be tried separately on Sept. 1.
Croley allegedly initially threatened her to take responsibility for the wreck, which she allegedly did at one point.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey Jones investigated the case. He was assisted by Troopers Donnie Jones, Rob Mitchell, Michael Hamblin, Sgt. Zach Alsip, Sgt. Shane Bowling, Sgt. Jerry Jones and Sgt. Chad Foley with the Williamsburg Police Department.
