Thursday, December 20, 2007
Life in Prison for killing grandmother?
San Diego California DUI lawyers news
A man with a history of DUI convictions who is now accused of driving drunk and causing a freeway crash that killed a 75-year-old grandmother must stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled Monday.
John Joseph Taskey, 46, faces more than 15 years to life in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney David Grapilon.
The defendant was on parole for a DUI conviction when the crash occurred.
The car the victim was riding in was one of two cars carrying family members to watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs when the 6:30 p.m. collision happened Sept. 13.
Witness John Covey testified during a two-hour preliminary hearing that he was driving westbound on Interstate 8 when the crash occurred.
Covey said he was slowing down as the roadway ended and noticed a truck going by him at freeway speeds.
"It was going substantially faster than me," Covey testified. "I saw him rear-end a vehicle."
The truck, driven by Taskey, slammed into the back of a Ford Focus that was stopped or close to stopped, causing the vehicle to roll over a number of times.
Covey said the Ford Focus "flipped, twisted and spun" right in front of his car.
"It was literally a blur," the witness said.
Covey said he checked on Taskey and his passenger, then turned his attention to the victims' vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle was outside of the car, but three people were dazed in the back seat and one person was in the front passenger seat, the witness said.
Rosa Degerman, sitting in the back seat, was seriously injured and died the next morning at a hospital.
A 7-year-old girl in the victims' car suffered a fractured left shoulder and a male passenger suffered a concussion, the prosecutor said.
CHP Officer Jesus Magdaleno testified Taskey was driving on a suspended driver's license, appeared very disoriented and had an odor of alcohol and an injured finger.
The officer said he had Taskey blow into a breathalyzer to check his blood-alcohol level and the defendant registered a .112 percent and then a .118 percent on a second test. The legal limit for operating a motor vehicle is .08 percent.
Speed was the main reason for the crash, Magdaleno testified.
Besides second-degree murder, Taskey is also charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI and driving with a .08 percent blood-alcohol level or higher.
The defendant has five prior DUI convictions between 1997 and 2006, Grapilon said.
Because of his prior DUI convictions and his taking court-ordered classes on the dangers of drinking and driving, Taskey was on notice that his actions could result in him seriously injuring or killing someone and being charged with murder.
A man with a history of DUI convictions who is now accused of driving drunk and causing a freeway crash that killed a 75-year-old grandmother must stand trial on murder and other charges, a judge ruled Monday.
John Joseph Taskey, 46, faces more than 15 years to life in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney David Grapilon.
The defendant was on parole for a DUI conviction when the crash occurred.
The car the victim was riding in was one of two cars carrying family members to watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs when the 6:30 p.m. collision happened Sept. 13.
Witness John Covey testified during a two-hour preliminary hearing that he was driving westbound on Interstate 8 when the crash occurred.
Covey said he was slowing down as the roadway ended and noticed a truck going by him at freeway speeds.
"It was going substantially faster than me," Covey testified. "I saw him rear-end a vehicle."
The truck, driven by Taskey, slammed into the back of a Ford Focus that was stopped or close to stopped, causing the vehicle to roll over a number of times.
Covey said the Ford Focus "flipped, twisted and spun" right in front of his car.
"It was literally a blur," the witness said.
Covey said he checked on Taskey and his passenger, then turned his attention to the victims' vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle was outside of the car, but three people were dazed in the back seat and one person was in the front passenger seat, the witness said.
Rosa Degerman, sitting in the back seat, was seriously injured and died the next morning at a hospital.
A 7-year-old girl in the victims' car suffered a fractured left shoulder and a male passenger suffered a concussion, the prosecutor said.
CHP Officer Jesus Magdaleno testified Taskey was driving on a suspended driver's license, appeared very disoriented and had an odor of alcohol and an injured finger.
The officer said he had Taskey blow into a breathalyzer to check his blood-alcohol level and the defendant registered a .112 percent and then a .118 percent on a second test. The legal limit for operating a motor vehicle is .08 percent.
Speed was the main reason for the crash, Magdaleno testified.
Besides second-degree murder, Taskey is also charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI and driving with a .08 percent blood-alcohol level or higher.
The defendant has five prior DUI convictions between 1997 and 2006, Grapilon said.
Because of his prior DUI convictions and his taking court-ordered classes on the dangers of drinking and driving, Taskey was on notice that his actions could result in him seriously injuring or killing someone and being charged with murder.
# posted by SanDiegoDUI @ 5:56 PM 
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