Man gets 6 years in DUI manslaughter case
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after pleading no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in a crash that killed a pedestrian four years ago.
Jonathan Lopez drove a Chevy Silverado that hit 34-year-old Marco Antonio Garcia early Feb. 23, 2020, as Garcia walked on Edison Highway east of the Mount Vernon overpass, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The Chevy left the scene and officers found Lopez in the truck minutes later stopped on the right shoulder in the 2600 block of Edison Highway. He appeared to be intoxicated and was arrested, officers said.
On Tuesday, Lopez, head bowed, listened as family members of Garcia spoke in court of their loss.
Brenda Gomez, a niece of Garcia, described him as always being ready with a joke or a song. He made people feel good about themselves, she said, adding one of her proudest moments was when he complimented her on having the right words for any situation.
Gomez said she misses him every day.
“You broke my family forever,” she told Lopez, “and nothing will ever be the same for us.”
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