Man who caused Highway 154 crash that killed mom, kids sentenced to life in prison

John Dungan, who was found guilty of second-degree murder after causing a head-on collision that killed a Solvang woman and her two young children, was sentenced Monday to 45 years to life in prison.

Dungan, 31, was convicted last month of three counts of second-degree murder after crashing his car into a vehicle driven by 34-year-old Rebecca Vanessa Bley on Oct. 25, 2019.

The force of the high-speed collision on Highway 154 killed Bley and her children — 2-year-old Lucienne Bley Gleason and 4-month-old Desmond Bley Gleason.

Investigators said Dungan, who was seriously injured in the crash, intentionally caused the collision due to suicidal and homicidal ideations.

“The crime has affected me on the most profoundly personal level,” Max Gleason, Bley’s husband and Lucienne and Desmond’s father, said in a statement read by Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Thomas Adams. “In that single moment, my entire family was erased.”

Gleason’s statement also revealed how he became unable to work due to his grief, and had sold the family’s residence.

“It became unbearable to live in the home I had shared with my wife and children,” Gleason said.

Other family members shared their victim-impact statements as well, including Gleason’s parents — grandparents to Lucienne and Desmond — and his sisters.

“A person needs to take responsibility for their actions,” said Kevin Gleason, Max’s father. “My son Max is paying the ultimate price by living in the shadow of this tragedy.”

Kevin Gleason added that if Dungan had taken responsibility, there wouldn’t be a trial — he would have pleaded guilty.

Max Gleason’s mother, Niki Gleason, recounted memories of “sweet, sweet Lu,” who family members described as perfect and “a bright light in all of (their) lives.”

“When the worst thing that can happen has happened to your child and there’s nothing you can do … the pain is indescribable,” Niki Gleason said.

Deputy district attorneys Stephen Wagner and Megan Chanda spoke of the impact on the family and community, and alleged that Dungan showed an “utter and complete lack of remorse,” Chanda said.

“Vanessa never had a chance,” Wagner said. “All of the evidence … spoke volumes to the absence of accident. This was not an accident.”

In addition to family members and investigators, the sentencing’s audience included multiple jurors from the trial, which Wagner said is rare.

“This speaks volumes to the emotional tug of the case,” Wagner told Noozhawk, speaking about the jury’s dedication.

After hearing the impact statements and reading excerpts of Deputy Probation Officer Lindsay Whitmeyer’s probation report, Adams sentenced Dungan to three consecutive terms of 15 years to life in prison, totaling to 45 years to life, for which he has 1,061 days of credit for his time in Santa Barbara County Main Jail.

Adams also concluded that Dungan is unsuitable for probation.