Torrance's Alvarez family walks in memory of son killed by drunken driver
Five years ago, I met Hank and Cecilia Alvarez when their son, Steven, was killed by a drunken driver in Gardena. I sat at the large table in the dining room of their Torrance home and spoke with them and other family members.The 20-year-old West High School assistant wrestling coach had stepped into the Torrance school’s top job when the coach was called to duty in Iraq. He planned to marry and become a firefighter.
A drunken driver, Ricardo Pena, then 22, of Gardena ran a red light at Marine and Western avenue. Pena received 10 years in prison for Steven's death. (It must be about time for his release on parole.)
“It is still very hard because we miss (Steven) a lot,” his father said.
Sadly, six months after Steven's death, I found myself sitting at the Alvarez's table again. Their 25-year-old son, Michael, was found slain on a sidewalk in Lawndale. The case remains unsolved.
I will try to revisit that soon.
In the meantime, the Alvarez family has created a Web page on the MADD site in memory of Steven. They are inviting people to join them Sept. 27 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach for the organization’s annual "Walk Like MADD" to bring attention to the fight against drunken driving.
My original story from April 29, 2003 follows:
Sadness, anger mix over West High coach's death
By Larry Altman
A popular West High School wrestling coach who dreamed of marrying his high school sweetheart and becoming a firefighter died Monday, one day after a suspected drunken driver plowed into his car in Gardena.
Steven Alvarez, 20, an assistant who stepped into the top wrestling job when the coach was called to service in Iraq, was pronounced dead at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 11:56 a.m.
Dozens of family members and friends were at his side and in the hospital hallways when the Torrance man took his last breaths.
"It felt good to know he knew everybody was there holding his hand," said his longtime girlfriend, Erica Muller. "Being able to touch him felt good. I know he was at peace."
Police said Alvarez suffered major head injuries Sunday when a suspected drunken driver, Ricardo Pena, 22, of Gardena ran a red light and slammed into Alvarez's car at Marine and Western avenues just after 2:35 a.m.
Officers found empty and broken beer bottles in Pena's 1993 Ford Taurus and are investigating the possibility that he and his passenger, Miguel Suarez, 23, of Gardena were drinking as they drove, Gardena police Sgt. Mark Rickerl said.
Pena's car was traveling at least 50 mph when it struck the passenger side of Alvarez's 1966 Chevrolet Nova. Pena did not brake before the crash, Rickerl said.
The impact ripped the vintage car's seat belt, which remained clasped. Alvarez's body was hurled through the windshield into the road.
"It's an old car. Those things are 30-some years old," Rickerl said. "Things wear out."
Pena and Suarez were coming from a friend's house where they had been drinking, Rickerl said. Pena, with a broken shoulder and ankle, and Suarez, who suffered spinal cord injuries, were hospitalized at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center in Willowbrook.
Pena was not immediately arrested, but could face manslaughter or murder charges, along with driving under the influence allegations. A blood test will take several days before results are known, police said.
West High Principal Sidney Morrison and other school officials notified wrestling team members Monday morning. In the afternoon, following Alvarez's death, Alvarez's brothers, Jonathan, 16, and Henry, 26, spoke at practice.
His death shook students and athletes, some of whom broke down when they were told.
"He was just a good guy," said Michael Mehegan, a 14-year-old member of the school's freshman wrestling team. "He was really fun to be around. He's in our hearts forever."
"It makes me really angry," said Jayson Binkley, 14, Jonathan Alvarez's teammate on the freshman-sophomore baseball team. "Pity on the person who did it."
Records show Pena should not have been at the wheel. The state Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his license on Aug. 13, 2000, for "excessive blood-alcohol."
Police, however, said Pena actually was cited for carrying alcohol in the car while under 21 years old.
He became eligible to get his license reinstated in August 2001, but apparently had not taken the correct steps, including traffic school, records show.
"I think alcohol should be illegal. I don't see why some people should stoop that low," said Michael Palombo, a 14-year-old wrestler. "(Pena) paralyzed his friend and he killed the best coach that West High ever had."
At Alvarez's Torrance home, his parents and brothers greeted relatives and friends in the hours after deciding to remove the machines keeping him alive.
"He left us in the prime of his life," said his mother, Cecilia Alvarez. "He should not have died the way he died. (Pena) robbed him of his youth."
Friends, coaches, athletes, neighbors and his family agreed: Alvarez was one of the good guys.
"He was my best friend. I loved him a lot," said his younger brother, Jonathan. "He taught me about life. He taught me how to shave."
Alvarez even won over his potential in-laws, who said they loved him as a son and gave him a key so he could let himself into their home. He often stayed over - and Muller's father did not mind.
"Every father is protective of his daughter. You always want the best," Chris Muller said. "He couldn't have been a better son-in-law. He treated my daughter well."
The couple knew each other in high school and began dating with the 2000 prom.
"From Day One we've been inseparable. He was everything to me," Erica Muller said. "He was my first real boyfriend. I was hoping he would be my last."
The couple planned to wait to marry until one of them started a career. Both were studying at El Camino College - including some classes together - Muller planned a teaching career. Alvarez set his sights on firefighting, influenced by Muller's brother, a county fireman. Alvarez took fire science courses with plans to eventually enter a fire academy.
Alvarez had just finished his shift as a cashier at the Ralph's supermarket at Hawthorne Boulevard and 182nd Street when the accident occurred. No one is sure why he was in Gardena, but they believe he drove a co-worker home.
Muller became worried when he did not arrive at her Southwood home at 2 a.m., and his family continued to be concerned all night, especially when Alvarez failed to show up for a baseball game Sunday morning.
They contacted Torrance police to make a missing person report, and police put the cases together.
Alvarez's parents and brothers believe the delay cost them nine hours that could have been spent at his side.
A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment specifically on the Alvarez case, but offered condolences to the family and said that generally with a badly injured person, the first hours are spent trying to prevent death, and getting the word out comes second.
Family members, meanwhile, spent Monday making the difficult decision and planning funeral arrangements.
Hank Alvarez, his father, said he had promised his son he would stop crying.
"I used to be afraid of death," he said. "I'm not afraid anymore. I know he'll be there."
By Larry Altman
A popular West High School wrestling coach who dreamed of marrying his high school sweetheart and becoming a firefighter died Monday, one day after a suspected drunken driver plowed into his car in Gardena.
Steven Alvarez, 20, an assistant who stepped into the top wrestling job when the coach was called to service in Iraq, was pronounced dead at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 11:56 a.m.
Dozens of family members and friends were at his side and in the hospital hallways when the Torrance man took his last breaths.
"It felt good to know he knew everybody was there holding his hand," said his longtime girlfriend, Erica Muller. "Being able to touch him felt good. I know he was at peace."
Police said Alvarez suffered major head injuries Sunday when a suspected drunken driver, Ricardo Pena, 22, of Gardena ran a red light and slammed into Alvarez's car at Marine and Western avenues just after 2:35 a.m.
Officers found empty and broken beer bottles in Pena's 1993 Ford Taurus and are investigating the possibility that he and his passenger, Miguel Suarez, 23, of Gardena were drinking as they drove, Gardena police Sgt. Mark Rickerl said.
Pena's car was traveling at least 50 mph when it struck the passenger side of Alvarez's 1966 Chevrolet Nova. Pena did not brake before the crash, Rickerl said.
The impact ripped the vintage car's seat belt, which remained clasped. Alvarez's body was hurled through the windshield into the road.
"It's an old car. Those things are 30-some years old," Rickerl said. "Things wear out."
Pena and Suarez were coming from a friend's house where they had been drinking, Rickerl said. Pena, with a broken shoulder and ankle, and Suarez, who suffered spinal cord injuries, were hospitalized at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center in Willowbrook.
Pena was not immediately arrested, but could face manslaughter or murder charges, along with driving under the influence allegations. A blood test will take several days before results are known, police said.
West High Principal Sidney Morrison and other school officials notified wrestling team members Monday morning. In the afternoon, following Alvarez's death, Alvarez's brothers, Jonathan, 16, and Henry, 26, spoke at practice.
His death shook students and athletes, some of whom broke down when they were told.
"He was just a good guy," said Michael Mehegan, a 14-year-old member of the school's freshman wrestling team. "He was really fun to be around. He's in our hearts forever."
"It makes me really angry," said Jayson Binkley, 14, Jonathan Alvarez's teammate on the freshman-sophomore baseball team. "Pity on the person who did it."
Records show Pena should not have been at the wheel. The state Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his license on Aug. 13, 2000, for "excessive blood-alcohol."
Police, however, said Pena actually was cited for carrying alcohol in the car while under 21 years old.
He became eligible to get his license reinstated in August 2001, but apparently had not taken the correct steps, including traffic school, records show.
"I think alcohol should be illegal. I don't see why some people should stoop that low," said Michael Palombo, a 14-year-old wrestler. "(Pena) paralyzed his friend and he killed the best coach that West High ever had."
At Alvarez's Torrance home, his parents and brothers greeted relatives and friends in the hours after deciding to remove the machines keeping him alive.
"He left us in the prime of his life," said his mother, Cecilia Alvarez. "He should not have died the way he died. (Pena) robbed him of his youth."
Friends, coaches, athletes, neighbors and his family agreed: Alvarez was one of the good guys.
"He was my best friend. I loved him a lot," said his younger brother, Jonathan. "He taught me about life. He taught me how to shave."
Alvarez even won over his potential in-laws, who said they loved him as a son and gave him a key so he could let himself into their home. He often stayed over - and Muller's father did not mind.
"Every father is protective of his daughter. You always want the best," Chris Muller said. "He couldn't have been a better son-in-law. He treated my daughter well."
The couple knew each other in high school and began dating with the 2000 prom.
"From Day One we've been inseparable. He was everything to me," Erica Muller said. "He was my first real boyfriend. I was hoping he would be my last."
The couple planned to wait to marry until one of them started a career. Both were studying at El Camino College - including some classes together - Muller planned a teaching career. Alvarez set his sights on firefighting, influenced by Muller's brother, a county fireman. Alvarez took fire science courses with plans to eventually enter a fire academy.
Alvarez had just finished his shift as a cashier at the Ralph's supermarket at Hawthorne Boulevard and 182nd Street when the accident occurred. No one is sure why he was in Gardena, but they believe he drove a co-worker home.
Muller became worried when he did not arrive at her Southwood home at 2 a.m., and his family continued to be concerned all night, especially when Alvarez failed to show up for a baseball game Sunday morning.
They contacted Torrance police to make a missing person report, and police put the cases together.
Alvarez's parents and brothers believe the delay cost them nine hours that could have been spent at his side.
A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment specifically on the Alvarez case, but offered condolences to the family and said that generally with a badly injured person, the first hours are spent trying to prevent death, and getting the word out comes second.
Family members, meanwhile, spent Monday making the difficult decision and planning funeral arrangements.
Hank Alvarez, his father, said he had promised his son he would stop crying.
"I used to be afraid of death," he said. "I'm not afraid anymore. I know he'll be there."
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
Twitter updates from Larry Altman
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
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