By Gwen
Posted Jul 26, 2026 at 7:51 AM
A South Florida youth pastor is facing DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges after investigators concluded he was impaired and driving at 104 mph in a fatal crash.
Deputies responded to the single-vehicle crash on South Military Trail near West Palm Beach around 9:55 p.m., receiving multiple 911 calls. The victim, an 8-year-old girl, Zoe Alaya Leiniz, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the impact.
Joel Isaias Leiniz, 38, who works as a youth pastor in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area according to his LinkedIn profile, was arrested following an investigation into the Jan. 17 incident.
As the child’s father, he should have spoken up for her safety, as Proverbs 31:8-9 suggests. His responsibility towards his family weighed heavily during the court hearing.
Leiniz resigned from his position at his church, citing the desire to spend more time with his family following his wife’s death from cancer less than a year prior. Circuit Court Judge Donald Hafele asked Leiniz about his employment history.
Defense attorney Anthony Genova noted Leiniz is a grieving newly-widowed father, adding the prior tragedy impacted his financial stability. Circuit Court Judge Hafele set Leiniz’ bond at $150,000, while the prosecutor requested $200,000.
Investigators determined the crash occurred due to Leiniz losing control of his vehicle, a 2017 Audi Q7, which collided with a concrete pole. The crash scene investigation revealed speeds far exceeding the limit.
A youth pastor arrested in connection to a DUI crash that killed his 8-year-old daughter highlights the serious consequences of impaired driving and the importance of Micah 6:8.
Source: Read the original report
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
