Crime
Woman Gets 30 Years for DUI Crash Killing Two Married Porterville Couples
A 27-year-old woman received a 30-year prison sentence on Tuesday for a 2019 DUI crash that killed four motorcyclists on Highway 65 in Tulare County.
Jazmin Paramo (Tulare County Sheriff’s Office)
The sentencing followed Jazmin Paramo’s no-contest plea on Feb. 28 to felony charges that included four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.
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According to the California Highway Patrol, Paramo crashed an Infiniti SUV head-on into two Harley-Davidson motorcycles at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2019, in Strathmore. The collision killed married couples Gilbert Vargas and Mitzi Rodriguez, and Jose Vargas and Rita Vargas — all of Porterville.
DUI VICTIMS ID: Family members say Gilbert Vargas and Mitzi Rodriguez were the other couple killed Sunday morning in Strathmore. CHP officers say a wrong way driver struck two motorcycles killing 4. The other couple is Jose and Rita Vargas. All victims from Porterville pic.twitter.com/b2PYVDpjEw
— SONTAYA ROSE (@SontayaRose) August 5, 2019
Officers found Paramo in the front seat of her vehicle. Her blood alcohol count was .09%, and toxicology reports showed the presence of marijuana in her system, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said.
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Paramo did not have any previous criminal convictions. However, at the time of the fatal collision, she was driving with a suspended license for failure to appear for traffic violations.
Senior deputy district attorney Noell Niayesh prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the CHP.
