On the doorstep of her second trial, a woman accused of four counts of DUI-related murder waived her right to trial by jury and accepted a plea agreement. The case previously had been tried before a jury and in that trial one juror found that prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was the driver at the time of the Dec. 14, 2007 car accident. That trial was declared a mistrial and the parties prepared to retry the case.

Prosecutors charged the woman with four counts of murder, at least one count of DUI causing injury and a misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended. She was facing a potential 15-years-to life prison sentence on each of the four murder charges and apparently decided to change her plea last Tuesday, the day that jury selection was scheduled to begin.

She chose not to retry the case and pled guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 22, when the judge is expected to impose an 18-year prison term under the plea.

Prosecutors claim the woman smoked methamphetamine and consumed alcohol before driving a vehicle involved in a fatal traffic accident on State Route 76 near Pala Casino Dec. 14, 2007. Four people died in the traffic accident. The woman accused of the DUI-related crash and another occupant of the vehicle she was in were injured. Authorities claim that the woman tested positive for meth and had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.12 percent after the accident.

At the original trial the defendant waived her right to remain silent and reportedly testified that she was not driving at the time of the accident. Reports say that the woman told the first jury that she had been driving earlier the day of the accident, but she realized that she was too "messed up" to drive and switched seats with a man in the sports utility vehicle. He denied driving at the time of the crash during the first trial.

One juror held firm in finding the defendant's testimony credible during the first trial and refused to find that the state had proven her guilt.

Source: Valley News, "Woman pleads guilty as second trial is set to begin in case involving DUI crash that killed four people near Pala Casino," Jan. 17, 2012