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Driver who killed two people in 2023 road-rage-related crash in Utah County pleads guilty

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EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A driver has pleaded guilty for the deaths of two people in 2023 when he got into a road rage incident with another driver and ended up hitting the victims' vehicle head-on in Eagle Mountain.

On June 4, 2023, Peterson Drew Matheson was driving a Ford F-150 eastbound on SR-73, engaged in a lengthy road rage exchange with the driver of a Nissan Maxima. Police say he rammed the Nissan, then lost control, went into the oncoming lane and hit a westbound Porsche 911 head-on.

The crash claimed the lives of both people in the Porsche: Rodney Salm and Michaela Himmelberger.

Matheson, 31, was charged with two 2nd-degree felony counts of manslaughter, two 2nd-degree felony charges of "negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death," one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, and two traffic infractions.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to both 2nd-degree felony manslaughter charges. With the plea, his five other driving-related charges were dismissed with prejudice.

Matheson's sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6. He faces 1-15 years in prison, plus a $10,000 fine, according to court documents.