VALLEY ROUNDUP : Littlerock : Motorist Convicted in Death of Girl, 8
A Littlerock woman convicted of second-degree murder for running down an 8-year-old girl with her car was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Fisher handed down the sentence to Doreen Gutierrez, 34, in connection with the Dec. 19 killing of her roommate’s daughter, Sara Criado. The girl was run over as she was walking home from a Christmas party with her mother and 7-year-old brother.
Problems began at the party, where Gutierrez began arguing with her roommate Teresa Gutierrez, who refused to let Doreen Gutierrez drive them home because she had had too much to drink, said Deputy Dist. Atty. John Portillo.
The mother, who is not related to the defendant, and her two children set out for home along 30th Street East toward Avenue S-4 in Palmdale, authorities said. Doreen Gutierrez caught up to the trio, pulling alongside them while trying to persuade Teresa Gutierrez to get in the car.
When Teresa Gutierrez refused, Doreen Gutierrez became enraged and sped away, said authorities. But after driving two blocks, the woman backed up and tried to ram the family with the car.
Teresa Gutierrez and her 7-year-old boy escaped injury. The girl was killed instantly after being pinned against a concrete block, authorities said.
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