ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The man accused of stealing a truck from Expo New Mexico and killing a young girl in a crash pleaded guilty.

A rep for the Bernalillo County District Attorney says John Bearden pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide charges. 

In 2023, Bearden stole a government vehicle from the state fairgrounds while high on meth. 

10-year-old Penny Pizarro and her father, David, were driving in southeast Albuquerque when Bearden blew past a stop sign and hit their vehicle. Penny died three weeks after the crash while her father was still recovering from a traumatic brain injury. 

Berden faces up to 27 years in prison when he’s sentenced in October. 

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