Driver pleads guilty in fatal Randolph Road crash

Jesica Argueta faces up to 20 years in prison after admitting to vehicular manslaughter

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July 23, 2026 3:18 p.m.

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A Silver Spring woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court to charges stemming from a 2025 crash that killed an 85-year-old woman and seriously injured another driver.

Jesica Argueta, 23, pleaded guilty before Judge Eric Johnson to one count of vehicular manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of second-degree assault in connection with the Aug. 7, 2025, crash at Randolph Road and Sherwood Forest Drive in Colesville, according to a Thursday news release from the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Argueta is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Argueta was driving a 2025 Toyota GR86 at speeds of up to 84.5 mph in a 40 mph zone while weaving through morning rush-hour traffic before crashing into a 2011 Toyota 4Runner at the intersection.

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The occupants of the SUV were traveling east on Randolph Road and attempting to turn left onto Sherwood Forest Drive after leaving church when they were struck, according to the press release.

Josephine Gieske, 85, of Silver Spring was the front-seat passenger of the SUV and died Aug. 22 from her injuries. The driver of the SUV was also injured and taken to a local hospital, according to prosecutors. An autopsy conducted by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Gieske died from a subdural hematoma, or bleeding in the brain, and a traumatic brain injury, according to police.

Montgomery County police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit found Argueta’s vehicle was traveling nearly 67 mph at the moment of impact, as previously reported by Bethesda Today.

Police charged Argueta in January after she turned herself in on an arrest warrant. She was released following a bond hearing on a $15,000 unsecured personal bond, court records show.

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At the time, Argueta’s attorney, David Moyse, told Bethesda Today his client was “devastated to have been part of this fatal accident.”

“She fully realizes that as traumatic as this experience has been for her, it is nothing compared to the pain and loss felt by the other driver’s family and loved ones,” Moyse said, adding that Argueta would continue cooperating with investigators and prosecutors.

Bethesda Today emailed Moyse on Thursday afternoon for comment on Argueta’s guilty plea and did not immediately receive a response.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine