Newport Beach woman denied bail in fatal December car collision that killed 2

Newport Beach resident Grace Elizabeth Coleman, 22, facing five felony counts from a fatal car collision in December that killed a Santa Ana couple and injured their three children, was denied bail Tuesday by a judge during an arraignment hearing.

Prosecutors charged Coleman with two counts of murder, two counts related to driving under the influence of alcohol and one count for a hit-and-run collision.

If convicted on all charges, Coleman could face 34 years and eight months in prison.

Prosecutors allege that Coleman’s blood alcohol level was more than .20% at the time of the collision. The state legal limit to drive is 0.08%.

On Dec. 8, Newport Beach police responded to a call at 7:46 p.m. of a crash near Newport Coast Drive and South Pelican Hill Road. Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel said that upon arrival, officers found a collision involving Coleman’s black Range Rover and a Nissan Versa.

The driver of the Versa, Henry Saldana Mejia, 27, and his wife, Gabriela Andrade, 28, died from their injuries. The Santa Ana couple’s 1-, 4- and 5-year-old daughters were in the back seat of the sedan and taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries, police said in December.

The children are currently being cared for by their aunt, Dayana Saldana Meija. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Coleman and her family in December.

Coleman remains in custody and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on March 3.

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