Driver accused of killing retired Phoenix police officer and his wife in 2023 crash arrested

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man was arrested on Tuesday in connection to a fatal car crash from last year, authorities said.

Joseph Welch, 24, allegedly killed a married senior couple while driving in the area of Olive and 43rd avenues in Phoenix on Dec. 13, 2023, court documents said.

The senior husband who died was 80-year-old Thomas Oviatt, who was a retired Phoenix police officer, according to 12News. His wife, Janette, was 79.

Welch was hospitalized after the crash, police said.

He now faces two counts of reckless manslaughter, according to court documents.

Details on fatal Phoenix car crash from last year

Before the crash, Welch was driving his Ford Fusion sedan northbound on 43rd Avenue at an excessive rate of speed, the Phoenix Police Department said.

He allegedly had been weaving in and out of the northbound lanes at a speed of around 80 mph in an area with a speed limit of 45 mph.

That’s when it collided with the passenger side of the Toyota Prius the Oviatt couple was driving in. The couple’s vehicle had been making a left turn to go east on Ruth Avenue.

Both the Oviatts had to be extricated from their vehicle, court documents said.

They died within minutes of each other.

Janette Oviatt showed no signs of life while being extricated from the Toyota and was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:02 p.m., court documents said. Thomas Oviatt was brought to a hospital but was pronounced dead by a doctor at 3:04 p.m.

The website of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said Welch’s bond was set at $200,000.

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