SAN FERNANDO : Driver Who Killed 2 Sentenced to Prison

A San Fernando Superior Court judge Wednesday sentenced a drunk driver who killed a San Fernando man and his 2-year-old daughter to seven years in prison as relatives of the victims quietly sobbed in the courtroom.

Fabian Campos Perez, 26, of Monterey Park, who hung his head and appeared misty-eyed, last week pleaded guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Before the plea agreement, Perez had faced a maximum of 15 years in state prison if convicted on both counts.

Prior to sentencing, Gloria Hernandez, the wife and mother of the victims--Jose Hernandez, 41, and Gloria Hernandez--told Judge Meredith C. Taylor that the deaths have made life difficult for her and her three surviving children. “Now I am a single mother, and I have to support my children and help them move ahead with their lives,” she said.

Hernandez was killed Aug. 18 in front of his house when a van driven by Perez hit a parked car in the 700 block of Glenoaks Boulevard and careened onto the sidewalk, striking the child and then pinning Hernandez against the house.