Man pleads guilty to automobile homicide in crash that killed young mother, unborn child

SALT LAKE CITY — A West Valley man has pleaded guilty to two counts of automobile homicide — one for the death of a mother and another for the death of her unborn baby — in an auto-pedestrian crash that happened in Salt Lake City last spring.

In addition to the two second-degree felonies for automobile homicide, Jack Keith Archibald, 54, on Jan. 5, pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence, a third-degree felony.

Archibald admitted to driving “in a criminally negligent manner” with a breath alcohol concentration of .136%. In the guilty plea, he admitted his negligent actions caused the death of two people and caused serious injuries to another.

Libbie Allan, 24, was in a yard near 925 E. 1700 South on May 3, 2022, with her 2-year-old daughter when Archibald’s vehicle crossed oncoming lanes and went into the yard, hitting both Allan and her child and knocking over a fence.

Allan was 17 weeks pregnant, and both she and her unborn baby were pronounced dead at a local hospital. The 2-year-old daughter sustained critical injuries but ultimately survived.

According to charging documents, Archibald got out of his car after the crash then got back in and left. His vehicle was later found at the Forest Dale Golf Course with two flat tires, front-end damage and debris. Construction workers thought the condition of the car was suspicious and notified police. Once officers found him, Archibald turned himself over to them.

As part of a plea deal, two counts of failure to remain at the accident, both third-degree felonies, were dismissed. Two infractions for driving on the wrong side of the roadway and driving on the sidewalk were also dismissed.

Archibald is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6. The plea deal says the state agreed to recommend the sentences for both automobile homicide counts run concurrently.