SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Local Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Woman Sentenced for Running Down Girl
A 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 imposed the sentence on Doreen Gutierrez, 34, in connection with the Dec. 19 slaying of her roommate’s daughter, Sara Criado. The little 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. (The two are not related.) The roommate had refused to ride home with Doreen Gutierrez because she had been drinking, said Deputy Dist. Atty. John Portillo.
Teresa Gutierrez 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 she refused, Doreen Gutierrez became enraged and sped away, said authorities. But after driving two blocks, she backed up and tried to ram the family with the car.
Teresa Gutierrez and her son escaped injury. The girl was killed instantly after being pinned against a concrete block, authorities said.
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