Gardena Man Enters Plea, Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Coach’s Traffic Death
A Gardena man pleaded no contest today to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to a maximum 10-year prison term in connection with the traffic death of a South Bay wrestling coach, the District Attorney’s office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Bradley McCartt said Ricardo Pena, 23, entered the plea late this afternoon when he appeared before Torrance Superior Court Judge Thomas R. Sokolov to have a date set for a preliminary hearing. Judge Sokolov sentenced Pena to the maximum 10-year term. As part of disposition of the case, a charge of second-degree murder and two driving-under-the-influence charges were dismissed.

i blogged about this case a few months ago. this 23-year-old ran a red light and caused the crash that killed a 21-year-old. the press release says that murder was charged after "an extensive investigation," but i never read that he left the scene, or that there was any evidence that he willfully ran the red light, or what-have-you. as i mentioned before, this guy is the epitome of who i thought would be stewing in jail the day after bekah was killed. a young man. stupid, drunk, shit!

i don't know this person or the specifics but i wish i did. i play pool in league, in a bar i've been going to since 1987. a couple months ago a friend from the bar, a man i've known for years just from the bar, confided that he had killed one of his best friends when he was young and drunk. i think he said he was 21, as was his friend. this guy is generally jocular and lighthearted, but he knows i lost my daughter to a drunken driver and i think he was thinking, "I'm as bad as the person who killed barbara's daughter, i'm barely fit to tell her this..."

but i said, no. you did not murder your friend, you fucked up royally, but i can't cast aspersions when i've been a drunk driver myself more times than i can count. [no more] - but bekah was murdered. this is so crystal clear to me. it amazes me how often people assume that i must be overstating or crazed with grief or what-have -you. no, no...my friend looked at me more soberly than possible considering the beer he still drinks, and said, "I deal with that every day. Every day of my life." and i know he does.

rambo as far as i know still refuses to admit she is the cause of bekah's death. as far as i know still feels sorry for herself and bad about the dent in her mother's car. still denies her alcoholism, or that the nature of the "upset" she admits to while roaring down 25th street on 07-19-01 was pissed. enraged, seeing red, mad enough to kill.
- posted by barbara @ 11/06/2003 01:45:00 AM