Driver Guilty of Murder in Fatal Accident During Police Pursuit
It took a jury of eight women and four men just over two hours Tuesday to decide that a 19-year-old Buena Park man whose reckless driving during a police chase led to four deaths was guilty of murder.
The defendant, Oscar Rodriguez, his family, and one juror wept openly while the verdicts were read in Orange County Superior Court.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. June 6, 1998 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday June 6, 1998 Orange County Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Orange County Focus Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
CRASH CONVICTION--In a story in Wednesday’s Metro section, a headline misstated the basis for an appeal by the public defender for Oscar Rodriguez. The appeal will not be based on the amount of time jurors spent deliberating.
Rodriguez faces a possible sentence of 120 years to life in prison for causing the collision that killed Lizett Quinonez, 22, and her sister, Claudia, 16. Also killed in the crash were Lizett Quinonez’s unborn child and Abraham Camarena, 14, a passenger in Rodriguez’s car.
Rodriguez was fleeing police on Christmas Eve 1996 when he ran a red light in Anaheim and broadsided another car at about 80 mph. The chase began when Cypress police tried to stop Rodriguez for a traffic matter. He also was found to have taken methamphetamines.
Jurors, who had to choose between convicting Rodriguez of murder or manslaughter charges, refused to comment.
Deputy Public Defender Dennis Sakai said he was disturbed by the short amount of time the jury deliberated. “It was the wrong verdict. This was a difficult case and I am uncomfortable by the amount of time they deliberated. To just speed through everything . . . it doesn’t seem they could have considered everything,” Sakai said.
Sakai argued that Rodriguez should be convicted of manslaughter because he never callously intended to harm anyone.
“It was unfortunate. It was a tragedy. But it’s not murder,” said Sakai, who said he will appeal the verdicts.
The prosecution argued that Rodriguez’s actions were irresponsible whether he intended to harm or not.
“He was willing to risk anything that night to evade the police,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan McNerney. “He showed disregard for the law and the police and for other people.”
McNerney said he was pleased with the verdicts and said the short period of deliberation showed that it was clear from the beginning that this was a murder, not a manslaughter, case.
Rodriguez’s mother and five sisters huddled and cried outside Judge Dennis S. Choate’s courtroom following the verdicts.
Rodriguez will be sentenced in Orange County Superior Court on July 31.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
