According to the local media (ABC channel 30), a Fresno woman faces murder charges after a fatal driving under the influence accident left one man dead. Investigators say Frank Winslow, 54, died in the crash after his car tumbled down an embankment.
Perla Vasquez left her Clovis home Thursday night for a fun night out with friends. Friday morning her family woke up shocked to hear why Vazquez never made it home.
Family members say Perla Vazquez, 24, went to a concert Thursday night at the Rainbow Ballroom before a fatal hit and run crash.
Officers say Vazquez rear ended a Jeep Wrangler as she traveled behind it in the slow lane. The impact caused the driver of the jeep to lose control, until the eastbound vehicle went off an embankment. The lone occupant in the jeep, Frank Winslow died in the crash.
Moments after her arrest, Vazquez was passed out in the back of a patrol car.
Axel Ryes, California Highway Patrol said, “She was subsequently arrested for DUI, for driving a suspended license, for felony hit and run as well as booked for murder.”
Investigators say Vazquez never stopped after the collision. Video taken at the scene shows the airbags in her Infiniti even deployed during the crash.
Vazquez was pulled over by a Madera Police Officer on his way home from work, after he noticed her car had major front end damage.
Court documents show Vazquez has two prior drunk driving convictions, including one last year. The records also show she has not been paying fines or attending mandatory alcohol offender classes.
Vazquez worked at a local radio station. Her mother says she has received many awards for excelling on the job. But outside work, family members say Vazquez struggled with alcohol abuse.
The suspect’s mother says she feels awful about what happened. She said regarding the victim’s family, “I know that saying sorry will never be able to change anything and it won’t bring this father back- but if there was anything I could do, I would do it.”
Thursday night Vazquez left home bound for a Spanish concert. That is the last family members heard from her, until the call from jail Friday morning.
Family members say Vasquez told them she wishes she would’ve died in the crash, instead of facing the pain of her actions.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8401677