A Canadian County judge on Monday set an Aug. 19 court date for Michael Salomon Rosario-Cruz, the man accused of killing four young people in a wrong-way, drunken-driving crash on Interstate 40.

Judge David H. Halley set the date during a brief status conference.

About a dozen family members of the victims, Quincy Jones, 19, Brad Palmer, 18, Haleigh Salazar, 18, and Kiercey Hickson, 20, waited nearly two hours for the hearing.

“The most important thing is we’re here, we showed up,” said Shirley Barnes, mother of Haleigh Salazar.

“We’re going to stick through it together, every step of the way.”

Rosario-Cruz, 26, of Southaven, Miss., did not appear. Attorney Irven Box of Oklahoma City appeared on his behalf.

Rosario-Cruz is charged with four counts of second-degree murder, one count of carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and one count of having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle following a crash that occurred at about 12:30 a.m. May 22 on I-40 near Czech Hall Road.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Rosario-Cruz was driving his 2019 Ford F-150 pickup west in the eastbound lanes of I-40 when he struck the 2021 Nissan Altima driven by Hickson head-on. The crash caused both vehicles to catch fire.

Hickson, of Stillwater, was pronounced dead at the scene as were all three passengers. Jones and Palmer were both recent graduates of El Reno High School, while Salazar graduated in 2025.

Troopers on the scene of the crash said they observed numerous open and unopened cans of Modelo beer in and around the truck belonging to Rosario-Cruz, and one trooper said he could smell the odor of alcohol while helping remove him from the vehicle.

Rosario-Cruz was taken to Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City in critical condition following the crash, and he was booked into the Canadian County Jail that morning. He is being held without bail.

Monday’s conference in Halley’s court had been scheduled as part of the regular 9 a.m. criminal docket, although Box had informed the court ahead of time that he would be delayed due to another appointment.

A few of the victims’ family members whispered things like “disrespectful” and “they’re playing the waiting game” as they waited for Box to arrive.

One family member squeezed a stress ball as she waited.

“We’re very aware and we’re saddened and we’re following the case, and we’re supporting the victims and their families and continuing to fight for justice for all four people who were killed by a very preventable tragedy,” said Emily Brown, state manager with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Brown was one of several advocates gathered in the courtroom.

“There’s no reason other families that have been also been through it shouldn’t be here to support these families,” said Jeff Murrow, executive director of Victims of Impaired Driving, another advocacy organization.

Murrow’s own daughter, Marissa Murrow, was killed Oct. 3, 2020, in a crash with an intoxicated driver who was going the wrong way on the Kilpatrick Turnpike. 

Box declined to comment, citing incomplete pre-trial discovery evidence at this time.

Assistant District Attorney Eric Epplin said Rosario-Cruz could ask for a preliminary hearing, in which evidence would be presented to show probable cause for the charges, or he could waive the hearing.

No formal arraignment has yet been held in which Rosario-Cruz would enter a plea.

After the proceedings Monday, Epplin and fellow Assistant District Attorney Austin Murrey met privately with the victims’ families in an empty courtroom to answer questions about the case.

The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer asking Oklahoma officials not to release Rosario-Cruz.

According to the agency, it is not known when he entered the United States.

According to published reports, Rosario-Cruz had authorization to live and work in the United States since 2015 through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“Four young Americans had their lives taken in Oklahoma by a criminal illegal alien who recklessly drove drunk,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a news release.

ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Mullin, who was a U.S. senator from Oklahoma before becoming DHS secretary, said the incident was completely preventable.

“This illegal alien should never have been in the country,” Mullin said.