Rebecca Gayheart captured the public’s attention thanks to quintessential ’90s roles in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Scream 2,” “Urban Legend,” and “Jawbreaker.” But the 2000s didn’t start off in the best possible way for her, as she was involved in a horrible tragedy that claimed the life of a nine-year-old boy named Jorge Cruz Jr. in 2001.
Cruz was reportedly crossing the street when he was hit by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Gayheart. Further complicating matters, the vehicle belonged to Gayheart’s “From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter” co-star Marco Leonardi. Gayheart paid for Cruz’s hospital fees and funeral costs, while also offering to pay for his parents’ counseling. She pleaded no contest to a charge of vehicular manslaughter, receiving three years of probation, a year’s suspension of her driver’s license, 750 hours of community service, and a fine of $2,800. In addition, she settled a civil suit with the Cruz family out of court.
Speaking on “The Only One in the Room” podcast (via Today) in 2019, Gayheart recalled the harrowing incident, saying that she swerved to miss another car and hit Cruz, who was running after his soccer ball into the street. “I did not cope very well after,” she said. “I just didn’t want to live after that accident. That’s what it came down to. I couldn’t handle it at all. So I spent about a year just trying to kill myself, basically, by doing every self-destructive thing a person can do.”