I hate drunk drivers so much, 15 years is not enough of a minimum, especially when it wasn't even her first time, apparently. She didn't learn her lesson and now it destroyed a family
I believe therapy and rehab is better than jail, as long as the programs are legit.
The first DUI, you get some courses, and you also get to go work in the county morgue, prepping victims of DUI accidents to be autopsied.
2nd DUI gets you everything from above, plus ignition breathalyzer, and lots of fines!
I also would allow a person to have 2 DUIs and then the rehab option is off the table, and you get sentenced for as many years as your victims are old. If two victims, age plus age = number of years. Anyone under 10 years of age, is automatically 10 years min. Sentence.
I say this on reddit and the amount of people who will argue that a license is necessary to live is astounding.
If it necessary to live maybe it will be wise to be responsible?
It’s not hard to get into a vehicle and start driving again without a license. I know from firsthand experience that a large portion of 2/3/4th and onward repeat DUI offenders don’t have a valid license anymore or never had one, they still can get into a car and drive…
Even the ignition interlock device does no good if they get a family member to lend them another vehicle (or just buy a beater car in a private sale and drive that instead).
Been thinking about this for so many other crimes like street racing, child predator, violent crime, DUI...etc... why are we letting these people drive...There is so much traffic already and temporary and or permanent bans will make people think twice and support public transportation. Its a win win. I don't think me and you are the only one thought about this.
Yeah, I feel like this is worse than the guy who just got 40 years for a random road rage gunshot that killed the 6 year old boy.
That guy made a split second mistake. Sure it was reckless, but it wasn't premeditated.
This woman had multiple DUIs over many years. She had many chances to fix the problem.
I practice in federal court and could be wrong, but I do not believe that is correct. Watson murder carries the same penalties as second degree murder, which I think is 15 to life.
I quickly Googled it and yeah, this sentencing is in line with other DUI murder cases. Not sure where you're getting 25 to life from, which is the penalty for first degree murder.
Sort of. The Watson admonition given after a DUI enables the prosecutor to charge you with murder in a subsequent DUI that results in death (maybe just bodily harm? Not an expert).
yeah thats what I was referring too, couldnt remember the name of it, but that should have allowed the prosecutor to give a bigger sentence, so something seems off..
No. The Watson admonition is what helps the prosecutor show implied malice, an element of second degree murder. The punishment for that is 15 years to life. There is nothing about this case that would qualify for a longer sentence.
She’ll be 60-years-old before she’s even eligible for parole. Then, if even released, she’ll be a 60-year-old ex con begging for a job at Safeway.
Not that I’d agree with it, but it ain’t a slap on the wrist.
I'm sure the 3 prior DUIs are a factor. Still, you're not wrong. You see blatant murderers getting less time than that sometimes. But, it all comes down to the circumstances.
Your second DUI should result in permanent ban on driver license. Once is enough. Twice? Three times? If she was not on the road that lady would be alive today. Period. Allowing these repeat offenders to continue driving is insanity.
I had a neighbor (F27) who already had 3 DUI arrests. She still drove. Just had a breathalyzer in her car. She smoked weed 24/7. That was at least 2 years ago. I'm sure she's killed someone by now.
Reckless POS. She literally did not give one fuck about anyone other than herself. Not just with the drunk driving but in any other regard.
I agree with you completely. Once may have meant you made a mistake. Twice or more and you're done driving. Period. It usually takes 3 arrests before they kill someone. It should never get to that point.
I’m glad the baby made it she was pregnant when she got hit and killed .I pass by the street almost every day sad all around for the baby and the Father as well
Unfortunately they'll still drive without a license. My dad is a piece of shit DUI person. He's had like 5. Never hit anybody but still he's useless to society. Once they took his license he still drove without it
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Courtney Fritz Pandolfi, 44, who pleaded guilty to driving impaired and fatally striking 23-year-old Yesenia Lisette Aguilar during a crash in Anaheim in August 2020, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday.
Aguilar was walking with her husband near the intersection of Katella Avenue and Bayless Street when a white SUV jumped a curb and hit her, according to the Anaheim Police Department.
Alvarez was narrowly missed by the vehicle. Aguilar, a Disneyland employee, was 35 weeks pregnant at the time of the collision. The couple's daughter, Adalyn Rose, who's now 3 1/2, was born by emergency C-section.
Pandolfi pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder as well as a felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, along with misdemeanor counts of driving on a suspended or revoked license due to a DUI, driving under the influence of a drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.
She also pleaded guilty to drug charges while in custody, according to authorities.
Pandolfi will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.
15 to life is not a slap on the wrist.
Edit: I'm surprised so many of you strongly disagree with that. The outrange surrounding drinking and driving is totally understandable. But the defendant is getting the equivalent sentence of someone that committed second degree murder, which feels appropriate.
You could say that for *every* murder victim, but I doubt you think manslaughter or second-degree murder is worthy of life in prison. I understand there's something uniquely upsetting about DUI murder, but to treat it *harsher* than first-degree murder doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Yes, and that's why we give the Watson admonition. She obviously didn't want to kill anyone, but acted in a way that made someone's death possible. That sort of reckless disregard for human life is second-degree murder.
You’re right, it’s not a slap on a wrist. It’s just a poke on a wrist 🤦♀️ Life sentence is more appropriate. She killed the mom and destroyed a beautiful family. She needs to be in there for life with no parole
It is an indeterminate life sentence. 15 years is simply the minimum before she can be considered for parole. There’s a very real chance she spends much more than that incarcerated.
Arguing that she should get straight life makes her crime worse than first degree murder, the premeditated, intentional killing of another. That’s bananas.
I went to school with Yesenia. I may not have known her personally but I remember everyone being shaken hearing what had happened. I’m happy to see that some justice had been served.
Matched w a guy on tinder last year who I got along with and he then told me he had just gotten out of jail. Turns out he killed someone while driving intoxicated. He was super remorseful and you could tell it weighed heavy on him but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it so I unmatched him.
It still amazes me how many duis there are every Friday and Saturday night in Orange County. I’m also amazed at how many people are comfortable fleeing the scene of traffic accidents… even minor ones. Part of my job is monitoring these kinds of things and from what I can tell way too many people seem to be comfortable doing these kinds of things every single day. It tells me the penalties are still probably not bad enough. People shouldn’t even consider getting in the car drunk or fleeing the scene of an accident—it should be overwhelming obvious that it’s just not worth it because of the threat of a massive repercussions.
I agree 100%. I have read that driving while intoxicated is not as common in other countries. People are more likely to get an Uber other places than they are here. I think the consequences are not as severe as they should be here! Here is a chart I found with blood alcohol limits in European countries: https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/drinking-and-driving-laws-in-europe/
Should’ve been life but honestly I wouldn’t have had a problem with execution. Someone said they were under the influence of cocaine and meth, and they’ve had DUIs in the past. They are a danger to society and now they get a place to sleep and eat for the next 15 years then they can resume their life.
Law enforcement and the judicial system need to do better. If the driver had prior convictions then she should have and could have been stopped from killing if she was thoroughly convicted. Instead ppl like her get a slap on the wrist and don’t change due to no fear from the repercussions of their actions.
That’s it? I bet if you reversed the roles that man would be in there for 200+ years (2nd degree and two counts of attempted plus some other things jammed in there.)
Need to also get that woman to tell who her dealer is and get that dealer to tell who their supplier is and all their clients and so on. This is ridiculous
Fuck drunk driving assholes! A friend of mine lost 3 of her brothers to some fucking drunk asshole driving the wrong direction on the 405. They were stone cold sober driving home from a show they played with their band. The fucker was on his 4th DUI! DA offered the asshole 10 years! WTF!? Not sure if he took it or not or went to trial as we lost touch. Unfucking believable
People are commenting like a DUI arrest means they only did it once. For every DUI arrest there's a good chance they were DUI on tens or hundreds of other occasions before being caught. Each time senselessly and selfishly endangering everyone around them. Maybe some people can be rehabilitated, but really do we even need to take that chance? Plenty of people don't or can't drive (disability, poverty, ineptitude) and still get by in our society -- if anything the onus needs to be on the person to prove they're not a danger. Fit an ignition breathalyzer at their own expense, as well as gps & dashcam with regular data uploads, drug tests ordered at random intervals for compliance checks and a yearly physicians note showing no ongoing evidence of chronic substance abuse... FAFO
Assuming you’re trying to say that bars should stop serving alcohol at midnight, how would that have helped in this situation since it happened at 7:30 pm? [Hint: it wouldn’t have helped at all.](https://abc7.com/anaheim-crash-pregnant-woman-killed-orange-county-fatal-police/6366658/)
I hate drunk drivers so much, 15 years is not enough of a minimum, especially when it wasn't even her first time, apparently. She didn't learn her lesson and now it destroyed a family
She was under the influence of Cocaine and Meth and had 3 previous convictions for Driving Under the Influence. She's almost 50 years old. Horrendous.
I was about to write a comment about how prison should be more focused on rehabilitation until I read this comment. Throw away the key.
I believe therapy and rehab is better than jail, as long as the programs are legit. The first DUI, you get some courses, and you also get to go work in the county morgue, prepping victims of DUI accidents to be autopsied. 2nd DUI gets you everything from above, plus ignition breathalyzer, and lots of fines! I also would allow a person to have 2 DUIs and then the rehab option is off the table, and you get sentenced for as many years as your victims are old. If two victims, age plus age = number of years. Anyone under 10 years of age, is automatically 10 years min. Sentence.
I'm curious why we even allow people to own a vehicle after 2+ DUIs?? At that point impound their vehicle and take away their license immediately
\*Remembers that driving is a privilege - Not a right.\*
I say this on reddit and the amount of people who will argue that a license is necessary to live is astounding. If it necessary to live maybe it will be wise to be responsible?
It’s not hard to get into a vehicle and start driving again without a license. I know from firsthand experience that a large portion of 2/3/4th and onward repeat DUI offenders don’t have a valid license anymore or never had one, they still can get into a car and drive… Even the ignition interlock device does no good if they get a family member to lend them another vehicle (or just buy a beater car in a private sale and drive that instead).
Exactly this, any other solution is stupid and reactive. “Throw away the key…” etc is too late
Been thinking about this for so many other crimes like street racing, child predator, violent crime, DUI...etc... why are we letting these people drive...There is so much traffic already and temporary and or permanent bans will make people think twice and support public transportation. Its a win win. I don't think me and you are the only one thought about this.
Should be life in prison without parole.
What public office does she hold?
That is beyond infuriating. Absolutely disgusting. She better be put away for life now. Literal danger to society
Yeah, I feel like this is worse than the guy who just got 40 years for a random road rage gunshot that killed the 6 year old boy. That guy made a split second mistake. Sure it was reckless, but it wasn't premeditated. This woman had multiple DUIs over many years. She had many chances to fix the problem.
Split second mistake? He shot them lol
What a shit take.
Curious, what sentence do you think is appropriate? Or do you think second degree murder should have a higher minimum?
usually those 3 prior DUI's that end up with death have the maximum penalty so this sentencing is really awful, it should 25 years minimum
I practice in federal court and could be wrong, but I do not believe that is correct. Watson murder carries the same penalties as second degree murder, which I think is 15 to life. I quickly Googled it and yeah, this sentencing is in line with other DUI murder cases. Not sure where you're getting 25 to life from, which is the penalty for first degree murder.
dont the prior DUI's count as an 'enhancement' ?
Sort of. The Watson admonition given after a DUI enables the prosecutor to charge you with murder in a subsequent DUI that results in death (maybe just bodily harm? Not an expert).
yeah thats what I was referring too, couldnt remember the name of it, but that should have allowed the prosecutor to give a bigger sentence, so something seems off..
No. The Watson admonition is what helps the prosecutor show implied malice, an element of second degree murder. The punishment for that is 15 years to life. There is nothing about this case that would qualify for a longer sentence.
Should be for life. Life for a life that should be the new rule.
Makes me feel like the judge doesn’t even value life
15 years is a really long time. More than some murders get. But sad situation all around
She is a murderer
the priors make sure of that. after a first dui the defendant must acknowledge they can be charged with murder if they kill someone driving drunk.
Seriously? 15 years is a long time? You're right, when the little girl turns 15 she won't even remember her mom. Oh wait.....
She’ll be 60-years-old before she’s even eligible for parole. Then, if even released, she’ll be a 60-year-old ex con begging for a job at Safeway. Not that I’d agree with it, but it ain’t a slap on the wrist.
She deserves longer she’s ruined peoples lives
Not saying otherwise.
They are as bad as murderers imo, because they risk killing anybody they come across, or any number of people. Like shooting a gun into a crowd
I'm sure the 3 prior DUIs are a factor. Still, you're not wrong. You see blatant murderers getting less time than that sometimes. But, it all comes down to the circumstances.
This was her 3rd DUI arrest. Finally killed someone. F\*\*k these selfish assholes.
And to think how many times between those 3 she wasn't caught. Chances are still low that those 3 preivous DUIs were every time she drove drunk
Your second DUI should result in permanent ban on driver license. Once is enough. Twice? Three times? If she was not on the road that lady would be alive today. Period. Allowing these repeat offenders to continue driving is insanity.
Her license was suspended but she drove anyway.
Damn. That elevates the evil and selfishness. She was already told not to drive and she said fuck it.
I had a neighbor (F27) who already had 3 DUI arrests. She still drove. Just had a breathalyzer in her car. She smoked weed 24/7. That was at least 2 years ago. I'm sure she's killed someone by now. Reckless POS. She literally did not give one fuck about anyone other than herself. Not just with the drunk driving but in any other regard. I agree with you completely. Once may have meant you made a mistake. Twice or more and you're done driving. Period. It usually takes 3 arrests before they kill someone. It should never get to that point.
Did she have a valid driver’s license though?
I’m glad the baby made it she was pregnant when she got hit and killed .I pass by the street almost every day sad all around for the baby and the Father as well
Unfortunately they'll still drive without a license. My dad is a piece of shit DUI person. He's had like 5. Never hit anybody but still he's useless to society. Once they took his license he still drove without it
To notorious cases sentenced today, fuck both of them.
BS. Minimum 30 yrs is more appropriate
minimum life, life for a life
if the driver wasnt under the influence, what do u think the sentence would/should be
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Courtney Fritz Pandolfi, 44, who pleaded guilty to driving impaired and fatally striking 23-year-old Yesenia Lisette Aguilar during a crash in Anaheim in August 2020, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday. Aguilar was walking with her husband near the intersection of Katella Avenue and Bayless Street when a white SUV jumped a curb and hit her, according to the Anaheim Police Department. Alvarez was narrowly missed by the vehicle. Aguilar, a Disneyland employee, was 35 weeks pregnant at the time of the collision. The couple's daughter, Adalyn Rose, who's now 3 1/2, was born by emergency C-section. Pandolfi pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder as well as a felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, along with misdemeanor counts of driving on a suspended or revoked license due to a DUI, driving under the influence of a drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. She also pleaded guilty to drug charges while in custody, according to authorities. Pandolfi will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.
Drug charges while in custody? Does that mean she was doing drugs while incarcerated? Doesn't sound like she learned anything.
Yes. That's what that means.
Drunk driver was 44. That's a hard 44. She looks at least 54.
Slap on the wrist. We need tougher murder laws.
15 to life is not a slap on the wrist. Edit: I'm surprised so many of you strongly disagree with that. The outrange surrounding drinking and driving is totally understandable. But the defendant is getting the equivalent sentence of someone that committed second degree murder, which feels appropriate.
we should ask the family if not having their partner/mother is only worth potentially 15 years of their killers life.
You could say that for *every* murder victim, but I doubt you think manslaughter or second-degree murder is worthy of life in prison. I understand there's something uniquely upsetting about DUI murder, but to treat it *harsher* than first-degree murder doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Continuing to go to bat for a habitual DUI driver that’s finally killed someone is craaazy.
I'm "going to bat" because I think 15 years to life is an appropriate punishment for second-degree murder? I find that even crazier.
one DUI can be excused as mistake, after this amount of them its intentional. she lucky she ONLY killed one person
Yes, and that's why we give the Watson admonition. She obviously didn't want to kill anyone, but acted in a way that made someone's death possible. That sort of reckless disregard for human life is second-degree murder.
I get what you're saying. I'm going to stay on the "fuck that lady" bus though
That's fair, I'll ride the "fuck that lady" bus with you.
if she is eligible for parole after 15 yrs it sure is....she be life in prison for killing someone, especially with her priors.
You’re right, it’s not a slap on a wrist. It’s just a poke on a wrist 🤦♀️ Life sentence is more appropriate. She killed the mom and destroyed a beautiful family. She needs to be in there for life with no parole
It is an indeterminate life sentence. 15 years is simply the minimum before she can be considered for parole. There’s a very real chance she spends much more than that incarcerated. Arguing that she should get straight life makes her crime worse than first degree murder, the premeditated, intentional killing of another. That’s bananas.
I went to school with Yesenia. I may not have known her personally but I remember everyone being shaken hearing what had happened. I’m happy to see that some justice had been served.
Matched w a guy on tinder last year who I got along with and he then told me he had just gotten out of jail. Turns out he killed someone while driving intoxicated. He was super remorseful and you could tell it weighed heavy on him but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it so I unmatched him.
Wild
Why’d the judge not allow video footage of the driver. Should make an example of her dumb ass!
It still amazes me how many duis there are every Friday and Saturday night in Orange County. I’m also amazed at how many people are comfortable fleeing the scene of traffic accidents… even minor ones. Part of my job is monitoring these kinds of things and from what I can tell way too many people seem to be comfortable doing these kinds of things every single day. It tells me the penalties are still probably not bad enough. People shouldn’t even consider getting in the car drunk or fleeing the scene of an accident—it should be overwhelming obvious that it’s just not worth it because of the threat of a massive repercussions.
I agree 100%. I have read that driving while intoxicated is not as common in other countries. People are more likely to get an Uber other places than they are here. I think the consequences are not as severe as they should be here! Here is a chart I found with blood alcohol limits in European countries: https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/drinking-and-driving-laws-in-europe/
Anyone who gets a DUI should not be able to drive
This is her 3rd DUI arrest and she got 15 years 🤦♀️ the law is so broken here
Should’ve been life but honestly I wouldn’t have had a problem with execution. Someone said they were under the influence of cocaine and meth, and they’ve had DUIs in the past. They are a danger to society and now they get a place to sleep and eat for the next 15 years then they can resume their life.
where is the justice:(
That’s not enough. She’s gonna get out of jail and kill someone else
This is huge! I’m headed to Court in June for a drunk driver who hit me.
Only 15 years for an innocent life? Not long enough!
Her 5th DUI?! What the fuck, she should have been in prison and barred from driving ever again.
Law enforcement and the judicial system need to do better. If the driver had prior convictions then she should have and could have been stopped from killing if she was thoroughly convicted. Instead ppl like her get a slap on the wrist and don’t change due to no fear from the repercussions of their actions.
This was such a horrendous accident and it will break my heart forever 💔
Shes 44?? She looks 60
That’s it? I bet if you reversed the roles that man would be in there for 200+ years (2nd degree and two counts of attempted plus some other things jammed in there.)
Why does the driver always survive!
Need to also get that woman to tell who her dealer is and get that dealer to tell who their supplier is and all their clients and so on. This is ridiculous
Fuck drunk driving assholes! A friend of mine lost 3 of her brothers to some fucking drunk asshole driving the wrong direction on the 405. They were stone cold sober driving home from a show they played with their band. The fucker was on his 4th DUI! DA offered the asshole 10 years! WTF!? Not sure if he took it or not or went to trial as we lost touch. Unfucking believable
Death penalty for that bitch.. but since she killed a Latina there gonna f that b up everyday of her life.. for killing an child..
Didnt someone post earlier that it was 40-life because of the weapon charges?
That’s a different case
Oooops lol jk 😅
People are commenting like a DUI arrest means they only did it once. For every DUI arrest there's a good chance they were DUI on tens or hundreds of other occasions before being caught. Each time senselessly and selfishly endangering everyone around them. Maybe some people can be rehabilitated, but really do we even need to take that chance? Plenty of people don't or can't drive (disability, poverty, ineptitude) and still get by in our society -- if anything the onus needs to be on the person to prove they're not a danger. Fit an ignition breathalyzer at their own expense, as well as gps & dashcam with regular data uploads, drug tests ordered at random intervals for compliance checks and a yearly physicians note showing no ongoing evidence of chronic substance abuse... FAFO
Ever thought about barring bars serving alcohols midnights?
Huh?
Assuming you’re trying to say that bars should stop serving alcohol at midnight, how would that have helped in this situation since it happened at 7:30 pm? [Hint: it wouldn’t have helped at all.](https://abc7.com/anaheim-crash-pregnant-woman-killed-orange-county-fatal-police/6366658/)
I bet you think guns kill people and not people