Clovis driver admits to drinking, but says fatal collision was an accident
By Pablo Lopez, The Fresno Bee | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
If convicted, she faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison. The jury will begin deliberations Thursday after closing arguments.
On the witness stand,
Her attorney,
For Vazquez's testimony Wednesday, the courtroom was filled with her family and friends as well as friends and family of Winslow.
For four hours, she repeatedly admitted that she is an alcoholic who began drinking at age 15. She also confessed to being arrested four times for drunken driving and convicted twice of the charge -- in 2006 and 2010.
After being prodded by Wright, she also admitted that she frequently drove without a license, lied to a car insurance agent, and drank several beers at
But when Wright asked her whether she thought drinking and driving is dangerous, she declined to say it was.
"When you drink, you don't think about that," she said. "I didn't think it could happen to me."
Her answer flustered Wright, who said, "Would you answer the question?" Soon, Judge
In addition to murder, Vazquez is charged with felony hit and run causing death and driving on a suspended license, a misdemeanor.
She also is charged with drunken driving, hit and run and driving on a suspended license for an incident that happened
But the focus Wednesday was on the fatal crash.
"I was drinking and driving and caused an accident that led to his death," Vazquez admitted.
Both sides agreed that Vazquez had a blood-alcohol of .13 -- which is over the .08 legal limit to drive -- when she rear-ended Winslow's Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep ran down an embankment and rolled several times. Vazquez left the scene before she was caught near the
On the witness stand, Vazquez admitted to signing court documents after her two drunken driving convictions that warned her that if she got drunk and killed someone, she could be charged with murder. But she testified that her lawyer never explained the warning in detail to her, nor did she understand what it meant.
She also testified that she attended drunken-driving classes, but said they never talked about the murder advisement. Instead, the teacher focused on how many drinks it takes to get drunk, she said.
In addition, she admitted that 11 days after she pleaded guilty to her second DUI, a
In defending Vazquez, DeOcampo has told the jury that his client had a job and was a hard worker, but she wrestled daily with an addiction to alcohol that stems from her being molested as a child by a baby-sitter and a feeling of being unloved by a stepfather.
Vazquez testified that she drinks to numb those feelings.
Hours before the fatal crash, Vazquez testified she went to the
Vazquez said that because she felt "kind of buzzed," a friend drove her to
She said she never thought of asking her friend for a ride home or calling a taxi. "I really thought I was sober enough and OK to drive," she testified. Besides, she said, her friend would never allow her to drive drunk.
She recalled taking
Vazquez said she swerved left from the slow lane to the middle lane to avoid hitting the Jeep. "I remember the impact and the airbag deployed," she said. "I looked around to see if I hit anyone, anything. But I didn't see any cars. I was scared so I kept driving."
She recalled the CHP pulling her over and questioning her. She said she cooperated with officers, telling them that she thought she had hit a white Jeep. "I thought it was a simple bumper to bumper thing and (the other driver) could have went home."
A CHP officer told her that a man was killed in the collision. At first, Vazquez thought the officer was either kidding her or lying, she said. When she realized the officer was serious, she testified she fell to her knees and cried hysterically. "I was in shock," she said. "I could not believe what I had caused. I knew after that I had to go to jail."
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6434, [email protected] or @beecourts on
___
(c)2014 The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)
Visit The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.) at www.fresnobee.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 1079 |
Kings County lawyer developed real estate projects in Hanford
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News