Judges gavel in court room legal trial and law background
A Novato woman is facing a second murder charge in a crash that killed her mother and aunt last month on Highway 101 near Petaluma.
Prosecutors filed the newest count Thursday, March 5, during Kenia Alegria’s appearance in Sonoma County Superior Court. The new count pertains to the death of Alegria’s 60-year-old aunt, Flor Vasquez, who died Feb. 20 — more than a week after the Feb. 11 crash near Petaluma Boulevard South.
Prosecutors also filed a second count of gross vehicular manslaughter against Alegria, and Judge Lynnette Brown ordered her to return to court March 26 to enter a plea and schedule a preliminary hearing.
The first murder count was related to the death of Alegria’s 61-year-old mother, Teresa Renderos of Novato, who died at the scene of the crash.
Investigators with the California Highway Patrol say Renderos and Vasquez, who weren’t wearing seatbelts, were thrown from a BMW driven by Alegria, who is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The original criminal complaint filed by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office shows Alegria’s blood-alcohol content on Feb. 11 was at least 0.20, more than double the legal limit of 0.08.
She was injured in the crash and arrested about a week later after being released from Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Alegria made her first court appearance Feb. 19, before her aunt died, and was charged at the time with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts related to DUI.
CHP Officer David deRutte said then that the murder charge was recommended because Alegria had a previous DUI arrest in January 2022.
In that incident, Alegria was charged with misdemeanor DUI in Mendocino County Superior Court and faced a special allegation that her blood-alcohol content was at least 0.15. She pleaded guilty in March 2023 and was placed on probation for three years. A judge ordered her not to drive with any amount of alcohol in her system during her probation period, Marin County court records show.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.
Originally published at Colin Atagi