Driver Who Killed 2 Gets 10-Year Term

Gonzalo Garcia, who killed two people when he drove a stolen truck into a car during a high-speed police chase in Orange County, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.

The families of the two victims had been placed in the unusual position of siding with the defendant in his unsuccessful attempts to persuade prosecutors to reduce the charges to vehicular manslaughter. Their lawyers told the court they believed that the families had a better chance of collecting insurance money if it was not a murder case.

After the sentence, Garcia turned to spectators in the Westminster courtroom and, speaking in Spanish, told Fernando Grossi that he was sorry. Grossi was the husband of one of the victims and driver of the car struck by the stolen truck.

“Vaya con Dios, “ Grossi answered--may God go with you.

The statutory sentence for second-degree murder is 15 years to life in prison, and two counts could have meant a sentence of almost 33 years.

No Reduction in Charge

Prosecutors refused to reduce the charges to manslaughter. But Garcia decided to plead guilty after Superior Court Judge Luis A. Cardenas indicated that he might shorten the possible sentence to 10 years, as if it were a two-count vehicular manslaughter case.

Garcia, 28, was suspected of reckless driving and attempting to elude the Orange police when he ran a stop sign in the El Modena area, striking Grossi’s car.

The Grossi family and the Valdez family, now living in Mexico, are pursuing a civil court lawsuit in attempt to collect insurance.

Garcia was accused of murder in the deaths of Javier Valdez, 45, of Orange, and Norma Grossi, 42, of Anaheim. Both were passengers in Grossi’s car. Fernando Grossi was injured and still suffers pain in his right arm, which is badly scarred.