Glukhoy Twins Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing Father and 14-Year-Old Daughter in Stolen-Truck Crash

What Happened

In the early morning hours of April 2, 2014, twin brothers Ruslan and Roman Glukhoy, then 19, were spotted with an accomplice breaking into cars in the South Auburn area of Placer County. Police began pursuing the brothers in their BMW around 5:10 a.m. The chase ended when the driver lost control on an off-ramp at Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis and the brothers abandoned the vehicle.

Rather than stopping, the brothers stole a Ford F-150 pickup truck on Becky Way and fled again, this time reaching speeds that Placer County officials later estimated at close to 100 mph. Jose Barriga-Tovar, a 35-year-old Sacramento resident, was driving his 14-year-old daughter Anahi Tovar to a friend’s house that morning so she could catch the bus to Cooley Middle School. As he made a left turn onto Antelope Road, the stolen F-150 driven by the fleeing twins struck his white Kia in a catastrophic collision. Jose and Anahi were killed instantly.

The Glukhoy brothers fled the scene on foot but were apprehended by authorities later that morning. They were identified as former Sacramento-area high school wrestling standouts — Roman had reportedly won a state championship. News reporting later noted the men’s parents described their sons as once-promising young immigrants from Ukraine who had arrived in the United States roughly 13 years earlier, and that both brothers had become dependent on prescription painkillers following a 2011 car crash.

Criminal Proceedings and Sentencing

Ruslan and Roman Glukhoy were charged with murder based on the deaths caused during the commission of a felony, specifically the robbery, car theft, and police pursuit that immediately preceded the crash. Their cases were tried separately. Ruslan, whom prosecutors argued was driving the stolen truck at the time of impact, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. Roman was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder.

On January 20, 2017, the Placer County Superior Court sentenced Ruslan Glukhoy to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Roman Glukhoy received a sentence of 30 years to life. The Placer County District Attorney’s Office confirmed both sentences. The case later generated appellate proceedings, with a California Court of Appeal decision in 2022 affirming the convictions and sentences.

Anahi Corona-Tovar, the wife and mother who lost both her husband and daughter in a matter of seconds, later described learning about the deaths while watching the morning news. Jose was 35 years old. Anahi was 14.

What This Case Illustrates About Civil Wrongful Death Claims

This case became a high-profile criminal murder prosecution, but families in situations like this also have parallel civil rights. A criminal conviction does not automatically resolve the financial harm to surviving family members. Civil wrongful death claims address that separately.