Trial Begins For DUI Driver Responsible For Fatal Crash In Santa Ana

CBS Los Angeles

July 29, 2022

A 31-year-old convicted drunk driver was racing with another motorist when he slammed into a pickup truck, killing a longtime newspaper editor near his Santa Ana home two years ago, a prosecutor told jurors today, while the defendant's attorney said her client was attempting to avoid another speeding driver.

Louie Robert Villa is charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and DUI with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08% causing injury, all felonies, as well as a misdemeanor count of engaging in a speed contest. He faces sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and pleaded guilty to driving while his license was suspended or revoked.

Villa is accused of killing 67-year-old Eugene Harbrecht, an Orange County Register editor, at Bristol Street and Santa Clara Avenue.

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