Alaska Woman Sentenced to 17 Years for DUI Crash That Killed Fort Wainwright Soldier

An Alaska court sentenced a Fairbanks woman Monday to 17 years behind bars and five years suspended for a drunk driving crash that killed a Fort Wainwright soldier in July 2024.

Brianna Raquel Lapp, 33, entered a guilty plea in November on counts of manslaughter, third-degree assault and driving under the influence, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Pfc. Arturo Alejandro Gomez 

On the evening of July 22, 2024, Lapp drove her Toyota 4Runner toward the Fort Wainwright main gate at high speed, striking two vehicles, a traffic control sign and a section of construction fencing along the way, according to Fairbanks police and court records.

Pfc. Arturo Alejandro Gomez, 29, was working the gate when the vehicle approached. Witnesses told police the soldier turned and ran, but he was struck and killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

When the first responding officer arrived, armed soldiers had already surrounded the 4Runner, which came to rest against a concrete barrier, Alaska Public Media reported. Responding officers observed signs of heavy intoxication.

A breath test administered roughly two hours later registered a blood alcohol content of .299, over three times Alaska's .08 legal limit. Lapp told police she had no memory of hitting anyone, according to KTVF. She had no prior felonies and no connection to the installation.

Gomez was born in California and grew up in Henderson, Nevada. He signed up for the Army in July 2023, finished his training at Fort Moore, Georgia, and arrived at Fort Wainwright the following February. He served as an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division.

He completed a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and studied at Brigham Young University prior to his enlistment.

Scott Vranes, a Utah resident who mentored Gomez and whose family took him in during high school, traveled to Fairbanks for Monday's hearing and addressed Lapp directly. He told her his family forgave her and held no ill will, urging her not to fall into self-hatred over what happened.

District Attorney Joe Dallaire described the statement as one of the most gracious he had heard in a courtroom.

The Sentence

Dallaire told the court prosecutors had been prepared to pursue a second-degree murder charge, citing the extreme blood alcohol level, the number of people struck along Lapp's path and her failure to stop at any point. He said Lapp covered roughly 2,000 feet after hitting the first vehicle, passing two opportunities to pull over before her SUV reached the security post where Gomez stood.

Lapp's attorney, Meredith Morse, told the court her client turned to alcohol after a sexual assault she experienced shortly before the fatal collision. Morse said Lapp had spent her time in custody at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River mentoring other inmates through a wellness support program.

Lapp spoke at her sentencing and told the court she was sorry for the harm she caused.

Presiding Judge Brent Bennett told Lapp the crash was horrific and permanently altered multiple lives. Bennett said he understood what led Lapp to turn to alcohol but made clear that none of it justified getting behind the wheel.

The judge set restitution at a figure to be calculated later and added an 18-month ignition interlock requirement for any vehicle Lapp drives after her release. The state will seize and sell her vehicle.