A Florida youth pastor has been arrested after police say he was driving drunk and speeding at 104mph then crashed his car, killing his daughter.
Joel Leiniz, 38, was arrested on July 19, nearly six months after his eight-year-old daughter Zoe was killed in West Palm Beach.
Leiniz was driving a 2017 Audi Q7 with his three children inside when he crashed into a concrete pole shortly before 10pm on January 17, according to the probable cause affidavit.
He told police the family was driving from a church concert to a Mexican restaurant on the night of the crash.
Leiniz said he was attempting to change lanes when a car suddenly appeared in front of him, so he swerved and lost control of the vehicle, striking the pole, which caused the car to catch fire.
‘He did not recall how fast he was driving or what the speed limit was, but did not think he was speeding because he had kids in the car,’ the probable cause affidavit said.
The family of four was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and Zoe was pronounced dead as a result of injuries she sustained in the collision.
The vehicle’s event data recorder showed the car was speeding at 104mph in a 40mph zone about five seconds before the crash, according to the affidavit.
Joel Leiniz, 38, was arrested after police say he was speeding at 104 mph and intoxicated when he crashed his car, killing his young daughter
Leiniz told police he was driving from a church concert to a Mexican restaurant when he swerved into a pole and killed his eight-year-old daughter, Zoe
Leiniz said he was attempting to change lanes when a car suddenly appeared in front of him, so he swerved and lost control of the vehicle
At the hospital, testing showed Leiniz had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.083, which is slightly above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08, according to the affidavit.
Additional toxicology reports led investigators to determine that Leiniz was impaired at the time of the collision.
Leiniz was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and driving under the influence manslaughter.
At his court appearance on Monday, Leiniz’s attorney pleaded with the judge for a reasonable bond because he is a newly-widowed single father, CBS 12 reported.
‘Mr. Leiniz is a grieving newly-widowed father in addition to the devastating family tragedy that happened at the time of the accident,’ his lawyer, Anthony Genova, said.
‘You see less than a year before this terrible crash, his young wife died a slow death of cancer and he was the sole caretaker, which depleted his savings.’
Leiniz’s wife, Sasha Leiniz, died on January 26, 2025, according to a GoFundMe for her daughters. The couple shared three children, Esperanza, Zoe and Izabel.
Leiniz also told the judge he resigned from his job in January to spend more time with his family.
Additional toxicology reports led investigators to determine that Leiniz was impaired at the time of the collision
At his court appearance on Monday, Leiniz’s attorney pleaded with the judge for a reasonable bond because he is a newly-widowed single father
Leiniz’s wife, Sasha Leiniz, died on January 26, 2025 after battling cancer. The couple shared three children, Esperanza, Zoe and Izabel
His LinkedIn profile describes him as a youth pastor and stated that he works as a ministry director at New Covenant Church.
Leiniz pleaded not guilty and was released on Monday after posting a $150,000 bond, Palm Beach County Jail records show. His next court date has not been listed.
A GoFundMe was also set up for the family after the crash.
‘As they continue to heal both physically and emotionally they are also grieving the unimaginable loss of their beloved daughter, Zoe,’ the fundraiser said.
‘There are no words that can fully capture the depth of this sorrow, yet we trust that God is near to them in this season of heartbreak.’
The Daily Mail contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Leiniz’s attorney and New Covenant Church for comment.
