Driver’s 3rd DUI Alleged in Fatality

A twice-convicted drunk driver who smashed his pickup into a woman unloading Christmas wrapping paper from her car in San Bernardino this week was accused of second-degree murder Wednesday.

Susanna Rey, 22, of San Bernardino was pronounced dead at Loma Linda University Medical Center an hour after the Monday night accident. It occurred outside her mother’s home in the 1200 block of Marshall Boulevard and in front of her 6-year-old son, who was watching from inside the house. Rey’s 2-year-old daughter was also inside.

The driver, John Linares Cuellar, 31, was “clearly impaired” by alcohol when his Dodge Ram crashed into Rey and her Ford Focus, said Vic Stull, a San Bernardino County deputy district attorney. Stull said some San Bernardino police officers broke down in tears after they arrived at the scene.

Although Cuellar’s blood-alcohol level has yet to be determined, Dist. Atty. Michael Ramos described Rey’s death as “DUI-related.” Cuellar will be arraigned today in Superior Court.

Prosecutors said Cuellar was convicted of driving under the influence after arrests in 1998 and 2002, and failed to attend numerous mandatory drunk-driving classes. On Monday, and during the 2002 offense, he was driving with a revoked license, they said.

“We will vigorously prosecute this tragic, horrible crime,” Ramos said in a prepared statement. “Our hearts go out to Ms. Rey’s family at this time. As the holiday season nears, the public should be aware that if they drink and drive, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows.”