Back on February 1, 2014, Armando Gonzalez, 40, a resident of Woodland, caused two collisions on Covell Boulevard in north Davis, one of which was fatal. Now he is set to stand trial on a charge of murder.
Alluding to the causes of the accidents, Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson stated, “It was in a sense, a form of Russian roulette.”
According to Davis police, the fatal accident occurred near the intersection of Covell and Baywood Lane. Gonzalez, apparently suffering from an epileptic seizure, struck a vehicle driven Ruth Morales, 85, of Vacaville which then hit a tree. Morales was pulled from her car about 2 pm, police reported, and transported to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. She was pronounced dead about 9 pm.
At his preliminary hearing, several witnesses described Gonzalez’s medical history. Specifically, they related, he had suffered from epileptic seizures for many years. Yet he persisted in driving a car. Judge Richardson elaborated that Gonzalez had had epileptic seizures which led to several other accidents on record over the past several years.
Judge Richardson concluded that Gonzalez, by getting behind the wheel of a car while knowing another seizure could strike at any time, demonstrated the implied malice required to substantiate the murder charge.
Gonzalez fled the scene of the Morales collision and headed west on Covell, where he then struck a second car at the intersection of Pole Line Road. He was attempting to flee that accident scene when he was captured by Davis police.
Gonzalez’s trial had been scheduled to begin on February 23 of this year. Due to a lack of an available courtroom judge on that date the trial is now set to begin March 30.
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Daily Democrat: Trial remains on schedule for Woodland man facing murder charges in hit-and-run
