Man charged in fatal DUI pleaded guilty to felony charge week prior
One of two drivers charged with DUI in a crash that killed a 90-year-old woman had pleaded guilty to a felony a week earlier, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Gabriel Hillery, a felon with convictions dating back to 2003, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary Jan. 19, according to court records.
A week later, nearly to the hour, police were called to a fatal crash at the intersection of South Lamb Boulevard and Karen Avenue.
Hillery and another driver, Rafael Gonzalez, both showed signs of impairment and were arrested, police said Tuesday. A woman in Gonzalez’s car, identified as Caridad Gonzalez, died in the crash, according to police and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office.
In court the next morning, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure ordered Hillery held without bail because of his criminal past.
Gonzalez admitted to police that he had taken drugs and alcohol three hours before the wreck, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Tim Fattig.
The judge pointed out that Gonzalez also had four misdemeanor convictions, including domestic violence, and had failed to show up for court at least four times.
On Tuesday, police said Gonzalez’s 2013 Hyundai Elantra crashed into Hillery’s 2001 Acura MDX after Gonzalez, 58, did not yield at a stop sign.
According to the deal Hillery, 54, made with prosecutors last week, the DUI charge means he could face a longer sentence of between five and 20 years behind bars, rather than a one to five year prison sentence that had been negotiated.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.