Grace Elizabeth Coleman was sentenced to 21 years to life, with no probation, as part of a plea deal that avoided the possibility of a stiffer sentence potentially ranging from 42 years to life in prison if convicted at trial.
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Prosecutors say on the night of the deadly collision in Newport Beach on Dec. 8, 2020, Coleman was given a ride home before the crash. But then she got back behind the wheel of her Range Rover, with a blood-alcohol level that was later measured at 0.22% or nearly three times the legal limit.
Woman pleads guilty in OC DUI crash that killed couple, hospitalized young daughters
She slammed into a Nissan driven by a Santa Ana family that was out for a night of looking at Christmas lights. Officials say she ran a red light and was moving at 75 mph when she hit the car.
Henry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia, 27, and his wife, Gabriela M. Andrade, 28, were killed in the collision.
Their three daughters, ages 1, 3 and 5 years, were dressed in their Christmas pajamas. All three girls were hospitalized with broken limbs.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the daughters, who are now being raised by family members.
Impact statements read in court on Friday included a letter read by the aunt of the daughters and a display of their drawings.
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