San Luis Obispo County District Attorney s Office
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. A San Luis Obispo County jury found a man guilty of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in a Nipomo car crash back in December 2018.
On Tuesday morning, District Attorney Dan Dow announced the conviction of Edgar Saul Rojas Morales, 25, of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated along with other felonies related to the death of Maria Rosas Medina, 82, from Santa Maria.
The crash happened at 10:30 p.m. on December 1, 2018. Morales was drunk driving on Thompson Road in Nipomo when he drove into the other lane of traffic and hit a car driven by Marciela Medina Marquez, 59 and passenger Maria Rosas Medina.
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Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, on the other hand, is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was under the influence, and the killing was either the result of an unlawful act, like a traffic violation.
The verdict is the second time within a week that a San Luis Obispo County jury could not agree on an “implied malice” murder conviction in a DUI-related murder trial.
On Thursday, jurors found Chelsea AnnMarie Stiles guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter after splitting 11-1 on the murder count for a December 2019 crash that killed another motorist.
Nipomo man convicted of fatal 2018 DUI crash
SLO Co. Jail
and last updated 2020-12-15 15:45:47-05
A Nipomo man could be sentenced to more than 15 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him of causing a deadly crash in Nipomo two years ago.
Edgar Saul Rojas Morales, 25, was found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and driving on a suspended license.
The jury deadlocked on the most serious charge of murder. According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney s Office, the jury was split 11-1 in favor of guilt.