A 27-year-old probationer who caused a head-on wreck while driving under the influence, killing a woman and seriously injuring a man in Winchester, was sentenced Friday to 20 years to life in state prison.
Willie Eddie Salazar of Wildomar caused the death of 32-year-old Sahtarria Anderson of Menifee in 2022.
In February, a Murrieta jury convicted Salazar of second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence and DUI resulting in great bodily injury.
During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson imposed the sentence required under state law on the defendant.
According to the California Highway Patrol, on the night of April 29, 2022, the defendant was driving his Honda Civic the wrong way — going westbound in the eastbound lanes of Domenigoni Parkway — when he approached a Chevrolet Malibu driven by Anderson’s friend, identified only as a 31-year-old Hemet man.
Anderson was in the right front passenger seat of the four-door sedan, which was near Patterson Avenue when the two vehicles reached the same point.
“The Honda and Chevrolet were involved in a head-on crash,” CHP Officer Jason Montez said at the time, adding that it was uncertain exactly how fast each car was traveling.
Paramedics arrived minutes later and treated the defendant and two victims, all of whom were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.
Anderson succumbed to her injuries the following day. Her friend, who suffered major injuries, was hospitalized for an unspecified period but ultimately recovered.
Salazar, also seriously hurt, was hospitalized for more than a week before being booked into jail.
Court records indicated that, in February 2022, he admitted a misdemeanor DUI, receiving a month-long jail sentence and a 36-month term of probation, with a requirement that he attend classes on the dangers of drinking and driving.
It was unclear whether he enrolled in the program. Under California law, if a DUI offender is convicted of driving while intoxicated, he or she can be charged with murder for causing a death directly tied to a subsequent DUI collision.
Court documents showed Salazar additionally had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.
