LANCASTER – A Palmdale man has been charged with murder for allegedly driving under the influence and killing a sleeping teen on Easter Sunday when he drove his SUV into her apartment.
At his arraignment Tuesday at the Antelope Valley Courthouse, 20-year-old Roberto Rodríguez pleaded “not guilty” to murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury, and driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s case also alleges that Rodríguez caused great bodily injury to the victim, 16-year-old Giselle Mendoza, according to Ricardo Santiago, Public Information Officer for the DA’s Office.
Deputy District Attorney Edward Wiley said in a released statement that Rodríguez crashed a Nissan Pathfinder into the victim’s bedroom inside an apartment complex near Avenue R and 10th Street East in Palmdale on Sunday, April 20.
Though Rodriguez was out on a $100,000 bond, that bail was exonerated, and he was then remanded on bail set at $1.03 million.
Judge Steven D. Ogden told Rodríguez at the arraignment that remanding him on such a large amount of cash is “the only way I can feel confident about protecting the public.”
Dr. Miguel Suarez Coronado, president of the community non-profit Agents of Change, agreed that Judge Ogden’s decision was made in the interest of the public’s safety.
“The judge made his point pretty simply: ‘If you’re not safe in your own home, where can you possibly be safe?'” said Coronado, who invited local media to the courthouse to raise awareness on the consequences of drinking and driving. “So he decided to keep Rodríguez in there. Not saying he was a flight risk, but to protect the public.”
A bail review hearing for Rodríguez was set for May 23, and his preliminary hearing will take place June 25 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Antelope Valley Branch.
Rodríguez faces a maximum possible sentence of 15-years-to-life in state prison if he is convicted as charged on all counts, according to the DA’s office.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Palmdale Station.
After the arraignment, friends and family of Giselle Mendoza gathered outside the courthouse to reflect briefly on her.
Yadira Mendoza, Giselle’s sister, was unable to comment on the ongoing case against Rodríguez but said that the public needs to understand how careless behavior, such as drinking and driving, may result in deadly consequences for innocent people.
“Whether friends or family, everyone is hurt by drinking and driving,” Mendoza said. “Instead of driving (when intoxicated), just call a cab and don’t endanger someone else’s family member.”
Mendoza also said she and her family were grateful for the public’s support and their donations.
Eighteen-year-old Branden Eshrati, who serves as the spokesman for Agents of Change, said he attended the arraignment to not only show support for members of the family, but also to advocate against drinking and driving in his community.
As a member of SOAR High School’s InvenTeam, he is one of 14 members coordinating with Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams to design and market a blood alcohol content detection bracelet called “ëris”.
“When you breathe into the sensor, a little LED light will either light up red or blue to indicate whether you are above or below the legal limit to drive,” explained Eshrati, who said the purpose of the group’s bracelet is to significantly lower the number of people who drive under the influence of alcohol.
According to his team’s research, 32 percent of deaths of 16-20 year olds nationwide are due to alcohol-related traffic accidents. The bracelet, which is proposed to sell for $20 once it reaches the market, will be presented to MIT officials at the Lemelson-MIT EurekaFest in June.
More information on the blood alcohol content detection bracelet can be found at SOARinvenTeam.blogspot.com
Coronado, who is also an adviser to the Sheriff’s Department in Lancaster, said there is no winner in court for a case like this.
“This impacts and affects the whole community,” said Coronado, whose organization raised $8,000 toward Giselle Mendoza’s burial costs. “If we don’t come together as a community to condemn drinking and driving, then it’s going to happen again, and we are going to have to raise money to bury another child.”
Previous related stories:
Loved ones mourn girl killed when alleged drunk driver crashed through bedroom
Suspected drunk driver crashes SUV into apartment, teen killed
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About the author
Jim E. Winburn is editor of the Greater High Desert independent and nonpartisan online news journal, the Civic Bee, at www.civicbee.com.
yolanda says
the fundraisers went amazing and I was more then happy to help I love and miss you so much giselle and I can not wait till we meet again . but he should face time for killing such an amazing .girl like her she did not deserve this but hes going to Live with it for the rest of his life
kristian says
wow so she dies…rip gisselle..and the driver at maximum only can get 15 yeARS FOR MURDER…SHE WAS BARELY 16 SHE DONT GET DO SEE ANOTHER 16.. Y SHOULD HE GET ANY DAYLIGHT AT ALL ???
Laura says
I believe the article states 15yrs TO LIFE…more than once.
t says
let him rot in prison.
hector says
I believe the young man will be convicted. But unfortunately people in all parts of this state will not take this free lesson at others expense. These stories will continue to repeat themselves as long as home owners having parties or gatherings and businesses are not being held responsible just like the driver who gets convicted of dui or in this case murder. This young man will be convicted and once sentenced time will pass with the opportunity to face his actions and except responsibility. Unfortunately for the victims the sentence began the moment the pathfinder crashed through the a payment while sleeping. The victims did not get a trail to choose weather the sentence was acceptable. We have a legal system and we need to support it. It’s not always 100% but it seems to work. Please don’t make it a Antelope Valley thing and speak the worst about it. These crimes are being committed in all parts of this country. Even the ones in the courts and law enforcement have there own drinking and driving personal that forget the law applies to all. We’ve all done it at one point. We simply got lucky. Let’s remind our kids and have that open communication about these matters and set the example.
Danny says
Wow another person that likes to blame everyone else for what they or someone else does.
Amber says
I tear up every time I read about this senseless loss of such a beautiful girl. I have 2 daughters (oldest is 13 yrs) and can’t imagine losing them like this. I go to bed at night expecting to see their smiling faces in the morning. SO so sad. Condolences to the family.
so says
lotta people die every year because we just cant live without alcohol. think about it… we all complain about guns and violence and deaths.. but SO many people would LIVE every year.. if you just gave up alcohol.. cant live without it can ya?