GREENFIELD — Greenfield resident Andres Espinoza, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, announced Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni on June 12.
On June 25, 2022, just after 3 a.m., Espinoza was driving a Subaru WRX sedan at speeds exceeding 90 mph northbound on Highway 101, just north of Main Street in Salinas.
Due to his level of intoxication, Espinoza rear ended victim Norbert Azevedo Jr.’s Dodge Ram 2500, sending the pickup out of control, where it overturned off the side of the highway. Azevedo, who had been on his way to work at the time of the collision, died at the scene.
Espinoza fled the scene of the crash and was contacted several hours later by California Highway Patrol officers at his home in Greenfield.
He admitted to driving his vehicle earlier that morning and colliding with something on the highway in Salinas, but “denied knowing he had hit another vehicle,” according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
A breath alcohol test revealed that Espinoza had a blood alcohol concentration of .08.
Espinoza faces up to 10 years in state prison when he is sentenced on July 26.
