SANTA ANA – A Lake Hughes woman who drove drunk in Santa Ana and struck three people, killing a 6-year-old girl whose sister and mother were left with brain injuries, was sentenced Friday to 22 years to life in prison.
Jessicah Louise Cowan, 37, was convicted April 15 of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges. Prosecutors said she had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent and had two mini bottles of vodka, marijuana and a pipe in her Lexus when she struck the trio at 10:59 a.m. June 23, 2012. Osmara Meza was killed, and her sister Gresia and their mother Eloisa were injured.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney and defense attorney Dennis O’Connell both told jurors during her trial that Cowan had been drinking and driving. O’Connell unsuccessfully argued that his client was not guilty of murder.
Cowan was also convicted of two counts of hit-and-run, two counts of DUI causing injury and two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol content greater than 0.08 percent.
“It is a tragic case for all involved,” Birney said after the verdicts. “But mostly for the loss of a life of Osmara Meza, a beautiful 6-year-old girl.”
The defendant “decided to drink. It was not an accident. There were choices made, things that were done,” Birney said.
Birney said Cowan left the crash scene at Spurgeon and 17th streets and kept driving until a witness caught up to her and blocked her way forward.
Osmara was pronounced dead at the scene and her mother and sister sustained significant brain injuries, Birney said.
Eloisa Meza and her two daughters were walking to an area restaurant that Saturday morning to get pancakes, Birney said.
Cowan sped through a red light on 17th Street at about 70 mph and kept going toward Spurgeon, where she ran another red light, Birney said.
As police questioned her, she claimed she wasn’t trying to run from the crash and that she hadn’t been drinking, Birney said.
Credit card receipts in her purse showed the defendant stopped at a liquor store and bought the two small bottles of vodka after she arrived at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and picked up her car, Birney said.
She stopped at another liquor store in Arcadia after that and spent a nearly identical amount, but there are no records of what she bought there, according to Birney.
He said records show she bought two drinks on the flight as well.
O’Connell said Cowan was trying to drive to Temecula that day.
“You’re going to see the route she’s taking makes no sense,” O’Connell told jurors, urging them to reject the murder charge. “She’s driving under the influence. When she does that, she’s thinking the same way all these other people think when they do that. The last thing on her mind is she’s going to kill someone.”
Cowan had no criminal record and had never undergone the type of coaching about the dangers of drinking and driving that drunk drivers must do when they are convicted, O’Connell said.
Prosecutors often charge drunk drivers with second-degree murder if the defendant has had a prior DUI conviction because they are warned if they drive intoxicated again and someone dies, they could be charged with murder. But an implied-malice argument may be made if there are other conditions of reckless driving in place, such as excessive speeding, driving through red lights or traveling too fast for the weather conditions.
O’Connell also argued that his client wasn’t aware she hit anyone because she had gotten a phone call right before the collision and was distracted.
“Even though she’s severely impaired, she looks down at her phone and blows the light,” O’Connell said.
Cowan was driving so fast it took her 600 feet to stop, O’Connell said. He said his client was not trying to get away from the crime scene, was too drunk to understand what happened, and was not aware anyone had been struck or had died when the first officers arrived on scene.
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rsr says
I think it was a weed pipe.
Bye bye says
Becky is about to lose her good hair lol lol
She deserves it says
Murdering a child driving under the influence alcohol marijuana and crack pipe it seems like a cycle that just got broken by giving her time and she’ll pray for the child not her
Sedrak says
Prayers for her….she made a mistake. People are ruthless and unforgiving.
SMH says
ARE YOU KIDDING?? Apparently you have never lost a loved one to drunk drinking.. It’s about da*man time they impose a stiffer sentence..
Sedrak says
No I haven’t lost anyone to such a mistake, but I’d be the the first to forgive the gentleman/lady. She must be going through hell. SMH.
Kansas says
Until you’ve lost a loved one to a drunk driver and suffered the devastating destruction of your family, leave forgivenes in church.
SMH says
A mistake? That KILLED someone. She knew what the outcome of drunk driving could be, therefore it was NO mistake.
Irena says
A mistake would forgetting to buy milk. Drinking and driving is not a mistake. It was a choice that cost a child her life.
P says
God teaches us to forgive in our hearts, that’s for those that have lost their loved ones or anyone that has been wronged in anyway.. it’s for our hearts to have peace. It DOES NOT mean that the guilty person shouldn’t be punished!! In my opinion she deserves more and she will get more at the time of judgement! For now she will spend time in jail where she belongs. My heart goes out to victims and their family.
TM says
Thus a reminder, no driving while under the influence, the risk of doing so brings severe consequences..and now she has to deal with that for the rest of her life, she DID take someone’s life away!!!
Mark says
A very tragic incident that took a 6 year old child’s life. NO, this was not a mistake! She knew she was under the influence when she decided to drive. Her actions to drive is what killed a 6 year old little girl! Do I think she intended to kill a child, and leave the child’s mom and sister with brain injuries? No I do not! This was not a mistake. Maybe a lack of judgement, but not a mistake. We’re taught from a young age what driving under the influence could do. She decided to ignore these teachings.
J says
Her Lawyer sounds like an idiot. “She was so drunk, she didn’t know she hit anybody, so she isn’t guilty? Wow…Hope she loses her license and gets put away for a very long time…now she has to live with herself knowing she killed a little girl and ruined the lives of 2 other family members. I don’t consider it an accident when she chose to drive after all the drinks she had. I doubt she planned on killing anybody, but that is no excuse.
monique says
no she made the decision to drink and drive and be high there is no excuse for her reckless driving she made the choice to do so and that is no accident she should rot in prison since she is a piece of kaka in our streets killing innocent people. im sure now she will have time to think of her stupid decisions dumb a$$biach go to hell.