MIRAMAR, Fla. — The Urrutia family was relieved to hear Sunshine Pérez, charged in the wrong-way wreck that killed their son Ezequiel Urrutia, is owning up to her actions.

The crash occurred on the Florida Turnpike on Jan. 9, 2025.

In a scheduled meeting Thursday, Ezequiel’s father Frank Urrutia said he was surprised to hear Pérez was pleading guilty.

“She was at the courthouse leading guilty to every charge, and in doing so I did see she was pretty shaken and understandably so,” he said. “We’re still devastated by the loss of our son. It’s something we’ve had to endure and figure out how to live our lives.”

Added Tiffany Urrutia, Ezequiel’s Mom: “We’re very relieved that she decided to do the right thing.”

Police said the 46-year-old Perez was driving drunk and going the wrong way on the Turnpike near Miramar before crashing into Ezequiel’s vehicle, killing the 23-year-old known to his friends and loved ones as Zeke.

He had dreams of becoming a firefighter and was close to finishing his classes.

Eight months after Zeke died, his family awarded the first scholarship in his name to a young man who is now on his way to firefighting school.

While Perez’s admission to guilt does nothing to bring Zeke back, his family’s focus is to continue helping others follow the same dream he never got the chance to finish.

“As a person who dedicated his life to helping people and saving their lives as a first responder, he was a selfless man, and I really pray that the sentence will match the weight of the crime,” said Frank Urrutia.

The Urrutia family said they are in the process of starting a second scholarship at Miami-Dade College in Zeke’s honor.

This one would be for aspiring paramedics.

Perez is scheduled to be sentenced in July.

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