The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a 24-year-old woman who drove while under the influence of alcohol, causing a rollover crash that killed her friend, was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday.
Court documents indicate that Alexis Quintero pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for her role in the fatal crash on February 6.
Investigators say that the crash happened at approximately 3:00 a.m. on First Avenue near B Street after Quintero and her 26-year-old friend spent a night on the town drinking in bars in the Gaslamp Quarter. Quintero decided that rather than sleep it off in safety, she would instead attempt to drive back to Los Angeles County that same night.
According to testimony submitted to the court by the San Diego Police Department, Quintero was driving her 2003 northbound on First Avenue when she struck a curb and lost control of her vehicle, rolling it over.
The victim, Quintero’s best friend, was ejected from the car and reportedly died at the scene of the crash.
A blood alcohol test taken shortly after the fatal crash revealed that Quintero had a blood alcohol level of .185 percent – more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent.
Quintero’s attorney, Edward Esqueda, told the court that his client had been suffering and was remorseful over the loss of her best friend that night and admitted to police officers that the crash was all her fault. Esqueda said that his client had not taken a drink since the night of the fatal crash and had been attending AA classes.
Quintero addressed the victim’s family, saying, “I understand if you do not forgive me, but know my intentions were not malicious but to take her back home like any other day, like we always did.”
Quintero has been sentenced to four years in prison.
