DUI suspect charged with murder in crash that killed Costa Mesa fire captain

COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- Three days after a DUI suspect struck and killed a Costa Mesa Fire captain who was cycling in Mission Viejo, the suspect was charged Tuesday with one felony count of murder, prosecutors said.

Stephen Taylor Scarpa, 25, is accused of driving under the influence of drugs and colliding with 44-year-old Capt. Mike Kreza, the Orange County District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Department said in a joint statement.

Scarpa, a Mission Viejo resident, faces 15 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, the news release said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at the Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana.

Kreza, an 18-year veteran of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, was hospitalized for two days after being hit by Scarpa's van Saturday morning on Alicia Parkway near Via Burgos, authorities said. He died Monday morning, survived by his wife and three young daughters.