NBC 7 in San Diego reported on Wednesday that a man has been convicted of second-degree murder in a crash in Lakeside that killed a jogger in 2018.
After just two hours of deliberation, an El Cajon jury found Michael Jason Woodfill guilty of murder in the August 27, 2018 crash that killed a mother of two who had been out jogging on that day.
According to court documents, the fatal crash happened at approximately 6:40 p.m. on Woodside Avenue near Riverford Road when Woodfill’s plumbing truck veered off the road, crashed through a chain-link fence, then swerved back across two lanes of the two-lane road before hitting the victim. The truck then continued down a dirt embankment where it overturned.
The California Highway Patrol and emergency crews responded to the scene. The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment. She later died of the injuries she sustained in the crash.
Woodfill was able to extricate himself from his vehicle and remained at the scene of the crash. CHP officers later placed him under arrest for DUI. It was later determined that Woodfill had a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 percent at the time of the fatal crash – almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Because Woodfill was on probation for a DUI incident in 2016, prosecutors could charge him with second-degree murder. Attorney’s for the prosecution emphasized to the court that because the defendant knew the risks of driving while under the influence of alcohol, the greater charge was justified in the case.
Woodfill’s sentencing date is scheduled for November 29, 2021. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
