Junior Ulloa, an 11-year-old male, was riding in a vehicle in Alabaster, Alabama, on the evening of August 27, 2023, when an ordinary family trip turned violent in an instant. Investigators said the crash happened around 8:10 p.m. near the intersection of Butler Road and County Road 17, where the vehicle he was in entered the crossroads and was struck broadside by another car.
In the wreckage and panic that followed, Junior was left critically injured while several other children in the same vehicle were also hurt, with at least one reported to have suffered severe injuries.
For days, the situation hung in a fragile balance. Junior was taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham, where he remained in critical condition. On September 2, 2023, Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans confirmed that Junior had died from the injuries he suffered in the collision, turning the crash from a traumatic emergency into a fatal case that would draw criminal scrutiny.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities focused on the driver of the vehicle carrying Junior and the other children: his older brother, Eldin Ulloa, who was reported to be 20 years old and from the Bessemer area. Court-record summaries cited in news coverage described allegations that the driver was traveling far above the speed limit—about 82 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone—before running a stop sign and entering the path of the oncoming vehicle. Those same reports said every passenger in the vehicle was injured.
Following the investigation, Eldin Ulloa was arrested and charged in connection with Junior’s death. Reported charges included reckless murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and multiple counts of third-degree assault related to the injuries suffered by the other children. News coverage stated he was held in the Shelby County jail without bond at the time of reporting, and booking records circulated publicly also listed charges tied to reckless/vehicle homicide and assault, reflecting the case’s focus on the manner of driving alleged to have led to the fatal collision. No additional suspects were identified in the reporting connected to Junior’s death; the case centered on the alleged conduct of the driver of the vehicle Junior was riding in.
