Driver who killed teen in Balboa Peninsula DUI faces murder charge

Flowers, a bundle of red vines, offerings of shrimp and rice and handwritten notes decorated a street corner Tuesday on the Balboa Peninsula, where a 14-year-old girl was fatally struck over the weekend by a driver presumed drunk, according to police. .

The victim, identified by the Orange County Coroner's Office as Rosenda Elizabeth Smiley, of Rialto, was reportedly walking just a block from the Balboa Fun Zone shortly after 6:45 p.m. Saturday when she was struck by the driver of a dark-colored car. sedan, Newport Beach police spokesman Sgt. Steven Oberon confirmed this on Tuesday.

First responders arrived at the intersection of Balboa Boulevard and Palm Street, but Smiley had already succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police reported in a news release. press release Sunday.

The driver of the vehicle – Joseph Alcazar, 30, of Fontana – remained at the scene of the crash, where he was questioned by investigators and arrested on suspicion of murder and child cruelty.

Oberon classified the traffic death as a “Watson murder,” referring to a 1982 California appeals court ruling that allows some drunk driving suspects to be tried for second-degree murder instead of manslaughter, due to implied malice on the part of a driver. .

Alcazar's child cruelty charge stems from the fact that a minor passenger, as well as an unidentified adult male, were in the vehicle when it struck Smiley, Oberon said Tuesday.

After Saturday's collision, a roadside memorial appeared on the northwest corner of Balboa and Palm, just outside Bal Harbor Liquor & Deli. Nestled among the flowers and prayer candles was a photo of a smiling teenager. Nearby, a note written by an anonymous supporter had been affixed to a lamp post.

“Fourteen flowers – for the years of your life – may your spirit fly with the ocean breeze,” it reads. “Hoping everyone involved finds peace.” I keep you in our hearts here in Balboa.

The incident remains under investigation by members of the Newport Beach Police Major Accident Investigation Team. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Traffic Investigator Nathan Farris at [email protected].