Man suspected of killing Cooper Lamb, his fiancee, infant daughter faces manslaughter charges

A man suspected of killing Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb's son, his son's fiancee and their infant daughter in a vehicle collision in December now faces three counts of manslaughter more than two months after the collision occurred, according to Gilbert police.

Brenda Carrasco, a Gilbert Police Department spokesperson, said on Friday afternoon that police submitted the charges to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office after they determined that 21-year-old Brian Torres was traveling far above the posted speed limit on Dec. 16, 2022.

Carrasco said Torres was traveling west on Elliot Road in a Chevrolet Silverado when he struck 20-year-old Caroline Patten, who was driving a maroon Toyota Corolla as she attempted to turn left from Elliot Road onto Cole Drive.

Carrasco said 22-year-old Cooper Lamb was in the passenger seat and their 11-month-old daughter was in a car seat in the rear passenger seat when the crash occurred. Lamb and his infant daughter were pronounced dead at the scene while Patten died from her injuries six days later.

Investigators estimate Torres was driving between 67 and 71 mph in an area with a 45 mph speed limit. Tests of Torres' blood revealed he had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.03% and also detected THC, police say.

Carrasco did not elaborate as to why it took more than two months to bring the charges against Torres. It was not immediately clear as of Friday afternoon when or if prosecutors would bring the manslaughter charges before a grand jury.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man suspected of killing Cooper Lamb faces manslaughter charges