Man convicted of 5 DUIs charged with murder in California hit-and-run
A man who has been convicted of DUI charges five times was charged with murder in the hit-and-run killing of a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol, the district attorney in Orange County, California, announced Thursday.
A man who has been convicted of DUI charges five times was charged with murder in the hit-and-run killing of a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol, the district attorney in Orange County, California, announced Thursday.
Jonathan Lopez, 31, of Orange, California, has been charged with one felony count each of murder, hit and run with permanent injury or death, evading while driving recklessly, DUI with three or more priors and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher.
Lopez could also be charged with driving on a suspended license, a misdemeanor. He faces a maximum sentence of 18 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges.
“An innocent man is dead because someone without a license who has been prohibited from driving because of his extensive DUI history decided to ignore every warning he was ever given that drinking and driving can be deadly and get behind the wheel while intoxicated,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a news release.
According to the DA's office, Lopez was driving in Orange around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday and hit a man walking across the street.
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