Wrong-Way DUI Crash Leads to Vehicular Manslaughter charges
By F. Scott Faulkner
Sept.25, 2024 – Santa Barbara County, CA
A Santa Maria woman is facing murder charges following a fatal wrong-way crash on
Highway 101. Kendra Cordova, 34, was arrested for driving under the influence and
vehicular manslaughter after a Sept. 8 collision, which left one woman dead and her
husband critically injured.
In the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 8, a SUV driven Cordova collided head-on with a Chevrolet Silverado
pickup truck while traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Hwy. 101 at a high rate of
speed. The crash killed Santa Maria residents Alma Teresa Alcorta Del Lazaro, 53, and
severely injured her husband, Cecilio L. Camacho, 63, according to Santa Barbara
County Superior Court records, “firefighters had to extract Camacho from the wreckage,
which had slammed into the concrete center divider.”
Court records further show Cordova had completed the “Responsible Beverage Service
Training Program” for bartenders, which purports to educate servers of alcoholic
beverages about the dangers of over-serving alcohol and the risks of drunk driving.
Investigators also learned Cordova had “worked a shift as a bartender” at the 1880
Union Hotel in Los Alamos the night immediately prior to the fatal crash. Video footage
showed her pouring herself vodka throughout the night and taking shots with a
coworker. She remained at the venue until 4:30 a.m., just before getting into her car and
heading onto the freeway in the wrong direction.
Pursuant to investigation of the accident scene and multiple witness statements
collected following the accident, CHP officers arrested Cordova on suspicion of
vehicular manslaughter and DUI; but further investigation led to the murder
charge.
Cordova, who was initially released on bail following the accident, is now in custody at the Santa Barbara County Jail being held without bail.
All photo(s) courtesy of Santa Barbara County Fire Department
