A 22-year-old probationer accused of driving drunk and causing a head-on wreck in Winchester that killed a woman and seriously injured a man is slated to be arraigned Friday on a second-degree murder charge and other offenses.
Willie Eddie Salazar of Wildomar was at the wheel of a Honda Civic that allegedly slammed into a Chevrolet Malibu on Domenigoni Parkway, just east of Patterson Avenue, on the night of April 29.
Sahtarria Anderson, 32, of Menifee was fatally injured, and her friend, identified only as a 31-year-old Hemet man, suffered major injuries and is still recovering.
Along with murder, Salazar is charged with felony driving under the influence, DUI resulting in great bodily injury and driving on a revoked license stemming from a prior DUI conviction.
The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, made his initial court appearance Wednesday and was appointed a public defender by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton, who scheduled his arraignment for Friday morning at the Banning Justice Center.
California Highway Patrol Officer Jason Montez told City News Service earlier this month that Salazar suffered extensive injuries in the wreck and was hospitalized for treatment.
According to Montez, the defendant was driving his Honda the wrong way, going westbound in the eastbound lanes on Domenigoni, when he approached the Malibu, driven by Anderson’s friend, with her in the right front passenger seat.
“The Honda and Chevrolet were involved in a head-on crash,” Montez said.
It wasn’t clear how fast each vehicle was traveling.
County fire crews reached the location minutes later and treated the defendant and two victims, all of whom were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.
Anderson succumbed to her injuries about 1:30 a.m. on April 30, according to the county coroner’s office.
Court records show that Salazar pleaded guilty in February to misdemeanor DUI, receiving a monthlong jail sentence and a 36-month term of probation, with a requirement that he attend classes on the dangers of drinking and driving.
It was unclear whether he enrolled in the program. Regardless, under California law, if a DUI offender admits or is convicted of driving while intoxicated, he or she can be charged with murder for causing a death directly tied to a subsequent DUI collision.
Records additionally indicate that Salazar has a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.