South OC Man Convicted In Red-Light DUI Crash That Killed 20-Year-Old Woman

IRVINE, CA — A south Orange County man was convicted Tuesday of an alcohol-fueled crash in Irvine that killed a 20-year-old woman.

Antonio Calixtonavarrete was convicted of second-degree murder and hit- and-run with permanent and serious injury, both felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol in excess of the legal limit of .08%. He was found guilty in the death of 20-year-old Isadora Stabel on Aug. 22, 2020.

The crash occurred about 8:45 p.m. at Main Street and Culver Drive in Irvine, according to the Irvine Police Department.

Calixtonavarrete faced an upgraded charge of murder instead of vehicular manslaughter because of a prior conviction for misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run with property damage from Feb. 20, 2019, in Newport Beach, according to court records. When convicted of DUI, drivers are given what's known as a Watson advisement -- a warning that they could face a murder charge, rather than manslaughter, if they are later involved in a fatal DUI crash.

Calixtonavarrete's blood-alcohol level was 0.184 about seven or eight hours following the crash, Deputy District Attorney Mallory Miller told jurors in her opening statement of the trial.

As part of his May 3, 2018, DUI plea deal, the defendant was required to attend alcohol education classes and meet with a panel of victim advocates from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Miller said.
Calixtonavarrete "admitted" to police at the crash scene, "I don't drive with my kids in the car when I'm drinking," Miller said.

Stabel was in the back seat of a Hyundai Elantra driven by Theodore Guyot, who accelerated to make it through the intersection as the light turned from green to yellow, Miller said.

"He was trying to get through the intersection because he didn't think he could stop in time," Miller said.

Experts testified to the signal system at the intersection, which is triggered by the amount of traffic waiting for a light to change, Miller said.

City News Service contributed to this report.