Oxnard Mom Sentenced: 27 Years for Daughter's Death in Fatal DUI

The day began with a party. Judith Ramirez, 39, had a few beers before leaving with her daughter, son, and a family friend. She stopped on the way home at a convenience store to buy more beer. Five minutes later, she crashed. Her seventeen-year-old daughter, Victoria Castro-Ramirez, did not survive. Her 4-year-old son Jose, ended up with a broken arm, while the family friend suffered facial cuts, reports the Ventura County Star.

There are many reasons why this accident should not have happened. Setting aside personal responsibility and the responsibility to protect one’s kids, signs of Ramirez’s escalating alcohol issues were obvious. She was convicted of a DUI in 2004. She was arrested again for driving under the influence in 2007, though she never showed up to court. Her license was suspended at the time of the crash in 2010.

]]>
She was convicted of the 2007 DUI in August, as well as the 2010 DUI, two counts of child endangerment, drunken driving, driving with a 0.08 or higher, causing serious bodily injury, and driving with a suspended license. She maintained throughout the trial and in a pre-sentencing interview that she does not have a problem with alcohol. Her lawyer stated that “something wrong with the road” contributed to the crash, reports the Star.

The prosecutor argued for a lengthy sentence “to protect society for the threat that she poses.” The judge must have agreed, as twenty-seven years truly is a long sentence for someone who wasn’t even charged or convicted of manslaughter or Watson murder.

The sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury to another could have applied to either the death of Ramirez’s daughter or her son’s broken arm. The statute adds a three year sentence to any underlying felony charge where someone suffers such an injury. It also classifies the felony DUI charge as a violent felony, meaning Ramirez will have to serve eighty-five percent of her sentence before she is eligible for release.

Related Resources:

• Consult a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
• Teen Skids Over Skid Row Residents, Faces Manslaughter Charges (FindLaw’s Los Angeles DUI Blog)
• Drunk Driver Hits Parked Cars, Injures Toddler Passenger (FindLaw’s Los Angeles DUI Blog)
• California DUI Laws (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)