A Yolo County jury convicted a Redwood City man of second-degree murder last week for his role in a Sept. 3, 2012, drunken-driving crash that killed his wife and teenage son.
Prosecutors said 47-year-old Reyes Barajas had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19 — more than twice the legal limit — and three prior DUI convictions when the family’s vehicle ran off the road and fell down a 20-foot embankment on Highway 16 near Rumsey. Barajas’ wife Ann Marie, 39, and 14-year-old son Marco died at the scene, while Barajas sustained moderate injuries.
“Barajas had been warned on many, many occasions that it was extremely dangerous to human life to drive under the influence of alcohol, but he continued to do so and as a result Ann Marie and Marco paid the ultimate price,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in a news release.
Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson, whose office represented Barajas, declined to comment on the verdicts Friday. In addition to two counts of second-degree murder, the jury found Barajas guilty of two counts gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Barajas faces a state prison sentence of 30 years to life at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Oct. 18 before Yolo Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard.