Man charged in 2023 fatal Renton crash involving school bus
Published 3:15 pm Monday, June 1, 2026
A man who killed one of his passengers after crashing into a school bus in Renton in 2023 has been charged with vehicular homicide following the return of a toxicology report that allegedly showed he had methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system at the time of the crash.
On April 30, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Robert Anthony Trevino, 22, of McKenna, with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. These charges stem from a Dec. 19, 2023, incident where Trevino allegedly crashed into a Renton School District school bus, resulting in the death of his passenger, Ashley Michelle O’Neal, and injuring his other passenger, John F. Breed. The crash did not injure anyone in the school bus.
According to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson, Douglas Wagoner, Trevino is currently being held on a $100,000 warrant filed by prosecutors. His arraignment has yet to be scheduled as of this writing.
According to the Renton Police Department, at the time of the crash, Trevino was taken into custody immediately, but he was released while investigators awaited toxicology results, which took about two years to process.
“Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and loved ones as this case moves forward through the court system,” Renton police said.
Details of the case
According to charging documents, at approximately 12:06 p.m. Dec. 19, 2023, an officer responded to a crash scene involving a red 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier and a yellow micro school bus from the Renton School District, which contained three passengers and a driver. In the Cavalier were Trevino, O’Neal and Breed.
The responding officers observed O’Neal dead in the vehicle, and Breed was in the vehicle with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to documents, prior to the collision, Trevino was driving westbound on Northeast Third Street, approaching the 1700 block, while the school bus was approaching from the east. Before the crash, Trevino passed a Tesla that recorded the entire crash on video.
Documents state that the road was wet, and it was raining. Trevino was traveling over 70 mph while the speed limit was 35 mph. Additionally, the crash occurred on a downhill right curve.
According to the documents, after Trevino passed the Tesla, he began sliding to the right and over-corrected to the left, causing the front of the school bus to crash into the passenger side of the Cavalier. According to the video, the passengers were nearly ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
Documents state that the medical examiner’s autopsy listed O’Neal’s cause of death as blunt force trauma as a result of a motor vehicle collision. The injuries included skull fractures, lacerations to the brain and brain hemorrhaging. Breed suffered a broken vertebra, a fractured rib and a broken lower leg. However, according to documents, two months after the crash, Breed committed suicide by using part of a leg brace he had from injuries related to the crash.
An officer at the scene stated that Trevino appeared not to be worried, and he seemed not to care. Trevino’s eyes were noted to be droopy, his movements were described as lethargic, he did not appear “right in his mind,” and an officer further suspected that Trevino was under the influence.
Inside the Cavalier were drug paraphernalia associated with drug usage, such as aluminum foil, lighters, mini-torches, glassine baggies, a glass tube with burn marks, and hypodermic needles, including one very near Trevino as he sat on the sidewalk.
Blood was drawn from Trevino, and a toxicology report found .15 milligrams of methamphetamine and 36 nanograms of fentanyl. The levels of these drugs can produce intoxicating and impairing effects, according to documents.
