VISTA, Calif. (CNS) — A man convicted of driving drunk and slamming a car into a traffic pole in Carlsbad, resulting in his wife's death, was sentenced Friday to 15 years in state prison.
Santos Hernandez Ramos, 40, was convicted by a Vista jury last year of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other charges, though the panel was unable to reach a verdict on a second-degree murder count. He also previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of driving while his license was suspended and driving without a license.
Ramos was arrested and charged in connection with the Sept. 15, 2019, crash that killed 41-year-old Cecilia Ramos.
Ramos' license was suspended at the time due to a 2017 DUI conviction out of San Bernardino County, which led prosecutors to file the murder charge against him.
At Ramos' preliminary hearing, Carlsbad police Officer Jeff Wolf testified that the crash at the intersection of Aviara Parkway and Cobblestone Road left the car nearly split in half. A witness estimated the vehicle was traveling around 80 mph prior to the crash.
Wolf testified that two blood draws taken shortly after the crash showed Ramos had a blood-alcohol level ranging from .15 to .16 -- about double the legal limit of .08. The officer also testified that a beer bottle was found in the center console of the vehicle.
