A Ventura County driver with a prior DUI conviction has been found guilty of second-degree murder after causing another fatal drunk driving crash, a rare application of murder charges in DUI fatalities.
Francisco Garcia was convicted on nine charges, including second-degree murder, for killing Elisia Lopez Hernandezin Oxnard on July 22, 2018, according to Ventura County prosecutors. Prosecutors said Hernandez was struck and killed while trying to help at the scene of a traffic accident. Another person was seriously injured in the crash.
At the time, Garcia was driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.24%, three times the legal limit of 0.08%. After the crash, he fled and hid on the roof of a nearby house before being arrested.
Investigators found Garcia had a prior DUI conviction from 2009, during which he received a Watson Advisement—a legal warning that a repeat DUI causing death could result in murder charges.
Prosecutors charged Garcia with second-degree murder along with additional counts of DUI causing injury and felony hit-and-run resulting in injury, citing his failure to render aid after the crash.
Garcia’s sentencing is scheduled for August 6. He faces at least 22 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment.
BY YEONGCHAE SONG [song.yeongchae@koreadaily.com]
