Ever since a mandatory minimum sentencing law was passed in 2007, Florida has had a minimum sentence of 4 years for a DUI manslaughter conviction. Prosecutors can waive this requirement and allow a judge to sentence leniently. Even with the mandatory minimum sentence, the sentences can vary widely. For example, in a 2009 case involving professional football player Donte Stallworth, he served just 24 days. In a contrasting case, Kayla Mendoza was sentenced to a 24-year term after she drove the wrong way on Sawgrass Expressway. Mendoza cooperated with the prosecution and showed remorse before and during the trial.
The Miami Herald reports that a woman is facing serious charges after an alleged DUI accident killed another person in Key Biscayne.
The accident occurred on Friday at around 8 p.m. According to prosecutors, 23-year-old Jessica Fuentes left her job at Whiskey Joe’s. She rear-ended another vehicle, sending that vehicle over the median. The car rolled a few times before slamming into a chain-link fence.
The victim was impaled by the chain-link fence. That victim, Curra Rafetti, was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. She later succumbed to the injuries she received in the accident.
At the scene of the accident, Fuentes failed all field sobriety tests. Three hours later, she failed a breathalyzer test. Her blood-alcohol content at that time was two times the legal limit.
Fuentes is facing charges of DUI, vehicular homicide, and DUI manslaughter.
Fuentes’ mother pleaded with the judge, saying that the victim’s death was a “freak accident” and also stated that the victim was not wearing her seatbelt. The prosecutor stated that the victim was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash.
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