A man was sentenced to five years in state prison on Thursday for a fatal high-speed street racing incident that triggered a crash killing a woman and injuring two children.
According to attorneys, the five-year prison sentence comes after an agreement between a victim and the defendant’s family.
Last month, Alonso Piña, 23, pleaded guilty last month to vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving charges. Martha Villalobos Romo was killed after Piña’s 2010 Ford Mustang struck her Nissan Altima on June 5, 2021, at the intersection of Third Avenue and L Street.
According to police, Piña was driving on the wrong side of the road around 6 p.m. when he ran a red light at the intersection, prompting the collision. Villalobos Romo died at the scene and her grandchildren, ages 7 and 10, were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Piña was booked in county jail two days later with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities believe Piña raced alongside the driver of a white Subaru WRX who remains unidentified.
Piña wrote an apology letter to the victim’s family.
“My Papa died young, but at least he died from a natural cause,” Piña wrote. “I must always live with knowing that my actions alone are what caused their grandmother’s death. This is awful for us all, but for none more so than the Villalobos’ family … I will suffer forever but never as much as Mrs. Villalobos and her family. It doesn’t even seem like I have (the) right to mention any of my or my family’s suffering.”
