felony

Published on: October 28, 2011

Fatal DUI Accident Results in DUI Arrest

A 35-year-old Stanton man has been arrested for driving under the influence after he caused a fatal DUI accident that took the life of a 50-year-old man.

The accident occurred at 5:15am on Saturday morning in the 500 block of Beach Boulevard in Anaheim when the driver of a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, Alexandro Cedillo, failed to notice a pedestrian crossing the road. Unfortunately, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Cedillo stopped and stayed until officers arrived and he was arrested on suspicion driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

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Published on: October 24, 2011

DUI Accident Results in 7 Year Prison Sentence

by Staycie R. Sena

An Orange County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 28-year-old male to seven years in prison for a fatal DUI related accident that occurred in early July.

The accident occurred at 12:50am on July 17^th, 2011 when the male driver, Yannis Ismael Galanis, was driving his GMC pickup at high speeds southbound on the I-5 freeway near Disneyland Drive. After suddenly swerving into a lane, his GMC crashed into another vehicle and continued up a dirt embankment before hitting a concrete barrier; the truck re-entered traffic lanes before coming to a stop on the freeway. Galanis, whose BAC levels was 0.11 percent, and his passenger Edgar Murillo, were taken to the local hospital where unfortunately, 29-year-old Murillo died hours later.

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Published on: October 19, 2011

Orange County Man Sentenced to Jail for Fatal DUI Crash

by Staycie R. Sena

An Orange County man has been sentenced to 20 years and 4 months in prison for a fatal DUI-related accident that he caused last Valentine’s Day. Gustavo Vega, 24, was driving while under the influence of alcohol on February 14, 2010 when he sped through a red light and crashed into a Toyota Corolla. The Corolla’s driver sustained minor injuries but unfortunately the passenger, 20-year-old Cara Lee, died at the scene of the accident. According to the Los Angeles Times, Vega fled the scene but was later found by police hiding at a nearby housing complex.

This past Friday, Vega was sentenced at the Orange County Superior Court for murder, felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence and felony possession. Vega’s blood-alcohol content level during that fatal DUI accident was at .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

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Published on: October 4, 2011

Orange County Teen Accused of Fatal DUI Accident

by Staycie R. Sena

A 17-year-old Orange County boy has been arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, causing a collision and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The teen was driving a van northbound near the 1600 block of Harbor Boulevard near Disneyland at around 4am when he allegedly struck two homeless women who were walking at the crosswalk.

According to the investigation, one woman was thrown a considerable distance into the southbound lanes while the second woman came to a rest in the left-turn lane of the northbound lanes. Unfortunately, both women died at the scene of the accident and the teen was arrested and booked at the Orange County Juvenile Hall on several counts including a California DUI.

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Published on: September 28, 2011

Fatal DUI Accident Results in OC Man Being Arrested

by Staycie R. Sena

A fatal DUI accident in Riverside County has resulted in an Orange County man being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter.

The accident, which occurred at 3:35am on Saturday morning, took the life of 20-year-old Joseph Castro, from Santa Ana and injured two teenage girls, a 19-year-old from the city of Orange and a 16-year-old from Santa Ana. The driver of the vehicle, 22-year-old Victor Martinez from Santa Ana, was allegedly traveling at high speeds when he crashed into a dirt embankment along the side of the road. Martinez was then arrested and booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of driving under the influence as well as manslaughter.

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Published on: March 10, 2010

Virtual Reality

by Staycie R. Sena

This headline stopped me dead in my tracks: “Couple Let Baby Starve to Death While Raising Virtual Baby Online”. What? Wait- WHAT?! The tragedy of Korean couple Kim Yoo-chul, 41 and Choi Mi-sun, 25 has made headlines all over the world. CNN reports that the couple let their real daughter starve to death while playing a virtual-reality game where they raised a virtual daughter in 12-hour on-line sessions at a local internet cafe. “The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life because they didn’t have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby, Chung Jin-Won, a police officer, told the Korean press. “They indulged themselves in the online game of raising a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby.” The couple are likely facing charges of child abuse, child neglect and homicide.

Like most people I was perplexed by such recklessness. As a mother, I simply can’t imagine what would compel a parent to neglect a baby so drastically. But, as a criminal defense attorney who has represented many parents in criminal child abuse or child neglect cases, there are a few things troubling about this story. First and foremost, there’s no allegation that the baby was ever left unsupervised.

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Published on: March 9, 2010

Rapper Jailed for Possession of a Deadly Weapon

by Staycie R. Sena

The rapper Lil’ Wayne started a one year jail sentence for possession of a deadly weapon yesterday. More precisely, he was convicted in New York for having a loaded gun on his tour bus. (As a side note, his sentencing was delayed twice. Once so that he could have his diamond-studded braces removed [probably a good thing before going into custody] and yet again because of a flood at the Manhattan courthouse.) This plea-bargain was not rash. He presumably had good attorneys and the case was fought for several years. Lil’ Wayne was originally arrested on this charge back in 2007. What is surprising is the severity of the sentence. As an Orange County criminal law attorney or criminal defense lawyer, I have represented numerous defendants charged with possession of a deadly weapon and many of those weapons have been loaded guns. Never have I had a client sentenced to such a lengthy jail term, however.

While it is possible that authorities are intent on making an example of him, it may also be the case that something warranted such a large sentense: Lil’ Wayne’s background or RAP sheet. Prior convictions will ALWAYS increase the penalties for future trangressions. I don’t know if Lil’ Wayne had ever been convicted before, but the fact that he still faces felony weapon and drug charges in Arizona suggests that he is not new to run-ins with the law.

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Published on: March 9, 2010

Can’t Buy Me Love (or silence)

by Staycie R. Sena

David Letterman can sleep better tonight. Joe Halderman, the man accused of extorting Letterman for $2 million, has plead guilty. Halderman was accused of extortion after demanding $2 million from the late-night star, lest he divulge his various affairs with co-workers. Halderman’s criminal defense lawyers worked out a deal which requires that he plead guilty to felony second-degree grand larceny, spend 6 months in jail, complete 1000 hours of community service and complete 5 years of probation. Though they minimized the jail time, Halderman’s criminal lawyers could do nothing about the 27-year career at CBS that Halderman flushed down the drain with his threats.

Extortion is a curious animal. Blogs and reader comments expressing sympathy for Letterman and wanting a stiffer penalty for Halderman abound. Does extortion mitigate an extra-marital affair? Would we have felt sorry for Tiger Woods if someone threatened to expose his sordid soirees? And for the philosophically-inclined, here’s a question a friend once asked:

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