No contest plea in DUI death of Disney employee killed while walking to work
A 37-year-old man pleaded no contest Monday to the DUI death of a pedestrian who was killed in a traffic collision last September outside of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
Stergios Antonios Economos pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury. According to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, the Burbank resident also admitted to inflicting great bodily injury on two victims.
On the morning of Sept. 7, 64-year-old Michelle Landes of Los Angeles was struck by a vehicle while traveling through a marked crosswalk at Alameda Avenue and Lincoln Street. Landes was on her way to work at Disney, where she was an executive assistant in the company’s legal department.
She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the Burbank Police Department.
The district attorney’s office alleged the incident began after Economos drove his vehicle through a red light. After striking Landes, Economos then struck another vehicle.
The driver of that car was badly injured from the collision, according to authorities.
Economos is set to be sentenced on May 7 and faces up to 13 years in prison.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc