Driver Who Killed Woman Apologizes to Family

It was a moment Roberto Perez said he had not before had the courage to endure.

In a crowded San Fernando Valley courtroom Tuesday, Perez for the first time faced relatives of a 26-year-old woman he had killed in a drunk driving accident Christmas morning, looked them in the eyes and told them that he would regret that day for the rest of his life.

“If I could have given my life for your daughter, I tell you from my heart I would have done it,” Perez, 26, said through a Spanish interpreter at his sentencing hearing. “I made the mistake, and I had the right to have the punishment instead of her, but life is not fair.

“Going to jail will not be the real punishment,” he said. “The real punishment I am receiving is that I will never forgive myself for this as long as I live.”

As Perez spoke, William Pagan, the victim’s father, sighed deeply and shook his head.

“I was thinking: God almighty, what a tragedy for both families,” Pagan, 63, said later. “He will never be the same, and it won’t be the same for me. I will always think of Michelle.”

Perez was convicted last month of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence for running red lights and speeding across the San Fernando Valley in a drunken rush to get his pregnant wife to the hospital about 3 a.m. As he ran the light at Victory and Van Nuys boulevards, he slammed his station wagon into Michelle Pagan’s Honda Accord, killing her.

Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp sentenced Perez to two years in prison. It was Perez’s first conviction.

His lawyer said he will serve at least one year.

Pagan’s father said he was hoping for a harsher sentence, but accepts Schempp’s decision. He said that his family had lost their spiritual and emotional anchor and that his only comfort is knowing that she is in a better place.

“The tragic loss of Michelle has left an empty spiritual space in our family,” Pagan said, his voice cracking as he read from a statement. “She was an eternal giver who kept our family together as never before in our lives.”

He and his family wept as he spoke about the pain of losing his daughter.