Judge acquits man in brother's fatal crash case

A judge in Multnomah County has acquitted Espoir Kaneke of 10 out of 11 charges related to a fatal crash that killed his brother. The crash occurred in July 2023 when Kaneke's car collided with a van on Southwest Barbur Boulevard. Kaneke was driving with his brother, Seraphin Ibrahim, when a Honda van attempted to cross the street. Ibrahim, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died from his injuries. Prosecutors had charged Kaneke with serious offenses, including second-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence, as his blood-alcohol level was .11. During the trial, Judge Katharine von Ter Stegge found that the evidence did not show Kaneke acted recklessly. She noted that the other driver did not have the right of way and that a defect prevented the passenger airbag from deploying. Kaneke was ultimately convicted of only one charge related to driving under the influence. At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor requested a 180-day jail sentence, citing Kaneke's previous DUII arrest in 2022, which had previously ended in a hung jury. Kaneke’s defense attorney criticized the mention of that case, as it did not result in a conviction. The judge sentenced Kaneke to 10 days in jail, which he will serve on weekends, along with two years of probation and a one-year suspension of his driver's license. Kaneke expressed remorse over the accident and his brother's death.