by Sarah Senan
Jacqueline Torres, 27, of Woodland, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and was taken into custody on the morning of November 3, 2016. Torres was sentenced to four years and four months in state prison.
In October of 2015, Torres was driving, high on prescription drugs (methadone and Xanax), on Interstate 80 near Davis, when she hit Giuseppe Santuccio, 51, of the San Mateo County city of Hillsborough. At the time, Torres was driving both erratically and under the influence. Santuccio was standing outside his big rig truck on the shoulder of westbound I80 near Mace Boulevard when he was struck by Torres, as she was swerving and failed to slow for traffic. Santuccio suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, while Torres was subject to minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The courtroom was emotional as Santuccio’s friends and family gathered, seeking closure for the loss of their loved one.
Torres requested that Yolo County Superior Court Judge Daniel P. Maguire grant her an additional two weeks to sort out financial matters and deal with two family members who have been diagnosed with different illnesses. Santuccio’s friends and family objected; they stated that Santuccio “was not able to get his affairs in order” before he was killed. Despite her request, Judge Maguire declined Torres’ motion, as sentencing had been previously scheduled.
“From the bottom of my heart I’m truly sorry…I will use my time to try to become a better person. I will carry him forever in my heart.” stated Torres to the court.
Additionally, Santuccio’s mother sent a message to the court with “MN,” Santuccio’s friend, and stated: “To this day, I have no more tears to weep.” As Torres is taken behind bars, Santuccio’s family hopes to be able to move on from their tragic loss.
“He did nothing wrong, yet he paid the ultimate price,” closed MN.
Judge Maguire concluded by stating how serious and devastating the case at hand is and that it should serve as a crucial reminder to never get behind the wheel when impaired.
DUI Plea Bargain Being Considered
By Samantha Brill
On the afternoon of November 3, 2016, defense attorney John Campanella represented James Churchill in entering his plea to a DUI charge in violation of the Harbors and Navigation Code. The defense was under the impression that the district attorney was going to agree with a plea in exchange for one year of probation and fines of around $1,600, overseen by Judge Dan Maguire.
The DDA interrupted, stating that as of three months ago the penalties for pleading to the H&N Code section 655(d) violation had changed to two years of probation along with around $1,800 in fees.
The defense was confused, as they found old documents online that gave them the only information, of one year of probation and $1600 in fees.
Judge Maguire then left court to go look online to see where Mr. Campanella was getting his information, and left the two attorneys to discuss and hopefully reach a compromise.
The judge returned and determined that the defense could have accessed this new information easily, therefore the old information will not hold merit in court. He also stated that the decision of the probation length would ultimately be up to the DA at this point.
The deputy district attorney would not budge on the probation length or the fees, because one year of probation would be for a defendant who blew a .04 (blood alcohol content of .04%) on a breathalyzer test, and Mr. Churchill blew a .09.
Therefore, the defense decided to drop the plea at this moment and take some time to think about what they wanted to do next.
The court agreed to allow Mr. Churchill some time to think about his next move and requested that he return to court on December 1 at 8:30am.
The deputy district attorney stated that the 655(d) plea will still be on the table at that time. However, if it does not resolve, he will push for trial.
