*A 22-year-old California woman has been charged with two counts of murder after crashing her vehicle into another car that killed a husband and wife, and injured their three young daughters.
Grace Elizabeth Coleman, of Newport Beach, was driving under the influence when her Range Rover crashed into the family of five on Newport Coast Drive Tuesday night.
According to CBS Los Angeles, Henry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia, 27, and his wife, 29-year-old Gabriela Andrade, died at the scene. Their young daughters — ages 1, 4, and 5 were seriously injured despite being secured in car seats.
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Three small children are in the hospital in serious condition Wednesday after a crash the night before left two adults in the same vehicle dead, officials saidhttps://t.co/y4mjXwWkIS
— KTLA (@KTLA) December 10, 2020
Coleman ran a red light before the crash and was arrested after trying to flee the scene on foot. She had a blood alcohol concentration of more than .20, police said.
“Three young girls are orphans because of the selfish decision of a stranger,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “Children should not have to grow up without their parents because someone decided to make the wrong decision and get behind the wheel while intoxicated.”
Coleman is facing two counts of murder, a count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, a count of driving with a blood alcohol of .08% or more causing bodily injury, and a count of hit and run with injury — all felonies. She also faces three felony enhancements of great bodily injury suffered by the couple’s daughters. Coleman has also been charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol after her arrest on Aug. 29 in Laguna Beach, per the report.
If convicted as charged, Coleman faces a maximum sentence of 34 years and eight months to life in state prison. Prosecutors have requested her bail be set at $2 million.
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