Driver in DUI crash that killed two sentenced to nearly 15 years
A woman convicted of killing two people in a 2006 drunken-driving crash was sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison Friday in West Valley Superior Court.
Yvonne Sinclair, 29, was driving a Hummer H2 on a Montclair surface street at speeds exceeding 80 mph on Jan. 21, 2006 when she crashed into a sedan attempting to turn left in front of her.
A data recorder recovered from Sinclair's Hummer showed the throttle was 100-percent open at the time of crash, with no brake applied.
The two occupants of the sedan -- 22-year-old Kara Rose Adella Maes of Chino and 23-year-old Sergio Lopez of Ontario -- died within minutes of the early-morning Central Avenue crash on Jan. 21, 2006.
Blood tests revealed that Sinclair, of Rancho Cucamonga, had a 0.11 blood-alcohol content.
She was convicted by a jury in November of four felony counts, including two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury.
She also pleaded guilty Friday to a single felony count of lying about her income to receive food stamps, said Deputy District Attorney Kent Williams.
Before Sinclair's sentencing Friday, 11 family members and friends of the victims publicly addressed the court, with most directing their comments at Sinclair.
"Kara didn't deserve to die -- not in the manner she did, and not by your hand," said Vivian Maes, Kara Maes's mother.
Many of the speakers said they were angry that Sinclair, during her trial testimony, claimed she took only one sip from an alcoholic drink the night of the crash.
"If you had a soul, I'm sure it would rot in hell," said Kris Maes, Kara Maes's sister.
Before she spoke during the hearing, Kris Maes moved the speakers' podium from the side of the courtroom into a position facing Sinclair.
The courtroom was packed with friends and family members of the two victims, as well as Sinclair's friends and family members.
Many cried during the hearing, and some were overcome with emotion and left the courtroom.
Throughout Friday's hearing, Sinclair -- who was wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit -- sobbed quietly and kept her head down, occasionally reading passages from a pocket-sized Bible she held in her lap.
In an interview Jan. 6 with a San Bernardino County probation officer, Sinclair said she was remorseful for the crash, according to a probation report produced for Friday's hearing.
"I know I should not be alive," she told the probation officer. "I should have been the one to die."
Sinclair's former boyfriend, who fathered one of her three children, was killed by an intoxicated driver in 2003.
Sinclair purchased the Hummer with money she received from a wrongful-death settlement after he was killed.
After the hearing, Sinclair's attorney, Valerie Young, told Judge Michael Libutti she would file a notice of appeal for Sinclair's case by early next week.
im really sorry for both of the families. its just a sad story.....i hope people learn from this.
Kara and Sergio were my friends who I love dearly and I feel that the time Ms. Sinclair was given wasn't enough.They were taken from us may it be God's plan it still hurts to know they were taken the way they were from trash like Ms. Sinclair. The worst part is knowing there are children who will grow up without there parents.Sergio's son was only 6 weeks old when the accident happened.And Ms. Sinclair has three children...what was she doing out? She should have been home tending to her children not out celebrating the money she got from the death of her baby daddy's settlement with the new Hummer she bought.Kara didn't even get to experience the joy of motherhood. It's sad knowing people with drug trafficing charges get more time then Ms. Sinclair and she took two lives.My heart was broken the morning I got the call and it feels like it could break again after reading this article of how little time this "girl" got for taking Sergio and Kara from all of us who knew and loved them.
All my love to the Lopez and Maes Family.