Three drunk drivers sentenced to life in crash that killed Yountville man

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

6 1 minute read

(BCN) — A triple drunk driver was sentenced Thursday to 15 years to life in prison for his involvement in a crash that killed a Yountville man in 2020.

Mauricio Ramirez Aguilar, 40, was convicted by a jury last month of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter.

The Oct. 17, 2020, crash killed 87-year-old Constantine Tsavalas, 87, a resident of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville.

Prosecutors said Aguilar had a blood alcohol content of 0.204 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08, and was driving 86 miles per hour or more when his pickup truck slammed into a Nissan Pathfinder driven by Tsavalas at the intersection of Highway 29 and Hoffman Way.
Judge Elia Ortiz of Napa County Superior Court handed down Aguilar's sentence Thursday.

Aguilar has two previous drunk driving convictions, both for crashes, including one in 2019 in which first responders removed him from his burning car after he crashed into a utility pole outside the county's office. California Highway Patrol in Napa.

During his previous drunk driving convictions, Aguilar received a Watson Warning, a warning to someone who has been convicted of drunk driving, informing him that he is endangering the lives of people in danger when he drives drunk, and if he does so and kills someone, they can be charged with murder.

“Mr. Aguilar's actions have caused irreparable loss and suffering to Mr.'s family and friends.
Tsavalas,” Assistant District Attorney Katie Susemihl said Thursday. “His conviction constitutes a solemn recognition of this devastation.”