BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- A 21-year-old man who was accused of street racing in a crash that killed his girlfriend and injured four children has been acquitted of murder, according to court records. A jury found Juan Edgar Morales not guilty of second-degree murder and convicted him of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, two counts of child cruelty and reckless driving. Morales pleaded no contest to charges related to carrying a loaded gun in the car. A sentencing date is scheduled in November. On March 22, 2022, Morales was driving a Nissan Maxima on Interstate 5, returning from Los Angeles to Delano with his girlfriend. Four children were in the car. An Infiniti began tailgating the Nissan, flashing its high beams, according to a release from the Public Defender's Office. Morales tried to change lanes but turned too sharply, the release said, losing control and hitting a dirt hillside next to the fast lane then rotating to face oncoming traffic. "Sadly, Morales' girlfriend, who was seated in the front passenger seat and was not wearing her seat belt, died on impact," according to the release. "Four children were in the back seat: the younger two, who were secured in car seats, sustained minimal injuries, while the older children, both secured with a single seat belt, suffered broken leg bones." No answers yet for Arvin City Council vacancy Morales was sober and not using his phone when the crash occurred, according to the release. He was driving about 70 mph before losing control, a defense accident reconstruction expert testified. Due to initial witness accounts, the incident was treated as a street racing case, the release said. Morales said he wasn't racing. "Certainly, street racing can include behavior that amounts to murder, but this was a complete overreach," said Deputy Public Defender Kate Lee, Morales' attorney. "The jury deliberated across five days and did an incredible job sorting through a confusing combination of charges and alternate lesser offenses. They took all the charges seriously and considered all the evidence and the law presented to them." The release said Morales immediately flagged down other drivers for help and cooperated with law enforcement. A detective who interviewed Morales noted his "remorseful demeanor," according to the release.