Thread: CA: Baldwin Park woman killed on way to church; Police say d

Baldwin Park woman killed on way to church; Police say driver was drinking

Ruby Gonzalez and Daniel Tedford, Staff Writers
Posted: 08/15/2011 08:25:17 PM PDT


BALDWIN PARK - Police said the driver who fatally struck a woman on her way to church Sunday had been drinking and speeding before the crash.
The driver also didn't have a license and was deported last year for entering the country illegally, police said.

Rafael Moreno Espinoza, 27, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter after a 2005 white Jeep Laredo crashed into a 24-year-old woman walking with her boyfriend on the sidewalk on Baldwin Park Boulevard near Stewart Avenue, according to Lt. David Reynoso.

"The initial investigation shows speeding was a factor," Reynoso said, adding that another factor was alcohol.

Reynoso said Espinoza's blood alcohol was nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. And a 25-year-old Baldwin Park man who was a passenger in the Laredo told police he and Moreno were drinking before the crash, Reynoso said.

The pedestrian, identified by coroner's officials as Esmeralda Ramirez of Baldwin Park, was on her way to attend mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Espinoza lost control of his vehicle, fatally striking the woman, then crashing into a bus bench and the side of a nearby building. Police said the building was damaged enough that it was deemed "unsafe for entry."

Espinoza fled the scene, but was found about two blocks away hiding in bushes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told police Espinoza was detained by border patrol in Barstow on March 9, 2010, was deported to Mexico and received a five-year ban from re-entering the country, according to Reynoso.

Police believe he was staying in Baldwin Park.

Reynoso said Espinoza has previously been cited for speeding.

Sheriff's booking records show Espinoza is being held at Baldwin Park jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday at West Covina Superior Court.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_18688432

Espinoza fled the scene

The story NEVER changes... suspect flees the scene. Suspect KILLS someone and walks away.

Originally Posted by nomas

Espinoza fled the scene

The story NEVER changes... suspect flees the scene. Suspect KILLS someone and walks away.

Exactly nomas!!

Espinoza fled the scene, but was found about two blocks away hiding in bushes.

Bushes, manure pile, the fertilizer's always the same...nothing but shit and dirt.