If you’ve been convicted of DUI once in California, things can get very dangerous for you if you are charged with it again and someone is killed. You won’t get charged with just vehicular manslaughter. You’ll be charged with murder. If the prosecution can prove you were intoxicated and irresponsible on the road, you can end up like what happened in this case.
Daily News reports that in 2015, a driver in Van Nuys ran through a red light. His van crashed into the side of a vehicle at Branford Street and Dorrington Place. The two people in the other car were killed at the scene. He was arrested and sent to jail.
Blood testing showed that his BAC was nearly three times the legal limit. His criminal record also showed he was convicted of DUI twice before, so the prosecution went for murder charges. The driver has been sitting in jail since then for his trial date.
Now the trial is finished. He’s been convicted of two counts each of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter with intoxication. He will now go to prison for at least 30 years, if not life.
This is as bad as it gets for DUI charges. Losing your license and dealing with the expensive fines and fees is one thing. Losing your freedom for life is another. This is why it is so important to get a DUI lawyer on your side if you can and to stop drinking if you know you have a problem.
Have you been charged with DUI and live in the Los Angeles area? Contact our DUI defense team today for a free consultation.