Trial To Begin For Male Charged With Killing Laguna Hills Girlfriend

Aug. 7, 2009 - PRLog -- To make matters worse, his girlfriend was five months pregnant with his child at the time of her death. The unborn child was also killed in the accident. The man was driving himself and his girlfriend home from a wedding reception when he crashed the vehicle into a tree going more than 70mph. The speed limit in the area was a mere 35mph in comparison. When police arrived and conducted blood alcohol testing, it was confirmed that the man’s blood alcohol level exceeded twice the legal limit for driving at .18.

The man is now facing two charges of murder, one of which is attributed to his girlfriend’s death with the other attributed to the death of their unborn child. Rather than being charged with vehicular manslaughter as would be typical in many drunk driving accident cases, the man is being charged with murder because of his past experience with and education regarding drunk driving and its potentially horrendous risks. Only four months before the crash that killed his girlfriend and unborn child, the man had been convicted of misdemeanor DUI.

In accordance with his sentence, the man was required to attend classes devoted to educating convicted drunk drivers about the risks of driving while under the influence of alcohol. The man was therefore taught the various risks that are involved in drunk driving, not only to himself, but to others in and out of his vehicle as well. The man also signed what is known in California as a “guilty plea form.” When he signed the form, he signed a proverbial contract stating that he was aware of the dangers of drunk driving and would accept full responsibility if anyone was injured because of his drunk driving. He also consented to the fact that he could be charged with murder if someone died as a result of his drunk driving. In addition to drunk driving charge, the man was not supposed to be driving at all without the permission of his parole officer because of past crimes regarding carjacking charges, for which he served time in prison.

Although fetal murder charges are not common in drunk driving claims, or many other types of claims for that matter, they have been favored by judges and juries in the past. Had the child’s mother not been killed in the drunk driving accident caused by this man, the baby would have also likely survived and been born to experience a long and healthy life. For those of you that have loved ones who have been killed by drunk drivers, do not hesitate to contact a Los Angeles Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer ( http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/CM/LP/Drunk-Driving-Victim... ). Although criminal charges can bring a sense of justification and peace to a family following the death of their loved ones, they do not typically offer any financial assistance to cover the expenses that are almost always incurred from drunk driving accidents.

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