A man who tragically took the life of a Chula Vista grandmother in June of last year during a high-speed street race pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving criminal charges.
Alonso Pina, 23, will be heading to state prison as soon as next month, where he will be serving five years behind bars for the tragic murder of Martha Villalobos Romo.
At around 6 p.m. on June 5th of 2021, Alonso Pina struck Villalobos' vehicle at the intersection of Chula Vista's Third Avenue and L Street after driving on the opposite side of the road, tragically killing the 57-year-old woman at the scene and injuring two of her grand-children of the age of 7 and 10. Pina was also rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and was later sent into county jail days after being released from the hospital.
According to officials, just seconds before the murder took place, Pina was racing along with a white Subaru WRX that until this day is unidentified. The 23-year-old's sentencing is scheduled for March 17.
Stephanie Ramirez, daughter of Martha Villalobos, says that her mother was a warrior in life, having survived many things that not many people in this world have successfully live through.
"My mom fought through three open-heart surgeries, diabetes, high blood pressure, she had COVID," Ramirez said.
Stephanie Ramirez also wrote in a GoFundMe page that Martha was "an amazing mother, grandmother and daughter." Ramirez writes, adding that she would love to ""spend time with her grandkids as much as she could, and I believe that she protected them till her very last breath." she added.
The victim's family say that they are appreciate and are grateful for the encouraging messages they have received since the loss of their beloved relative.
"We had a lot of messages and condolences and it's overwhelming because each time I read it, it makes it more real," Stephanie said.
