An Oct. 29 trial date was confirmed Tuesday for a 25-year-old probationer accused of driving drunk and causing a head-on wreck in Winchester that killed a woman and seriously injured a man.
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, 2022.
Sahtarria Anderson, 32, of Menifee was fatally injured, and her friend, identified only as a 31-year-old Hemet man, suffered major injuries, from which he has since recovered.
Salazar is charged with second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence, DUI resulting in great bodily injury and driving on a revoked license stemming from a prior DUI conviction.
During a status hearing Tuesday at the Banning Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jorge Hernandez conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding scheduling, and both sides agreed to work on clearing their calendars for proceedings at the end of the month.
Salazar is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jason 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.
Paramedics 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 the following day. Salazar was hospitalized for more than a week before being transferred to jail.
Court records show he pleaded guilty in February 2022 to misdemeanor DUI, receiving a month-long 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.
According to court documents, Salazar additionally has a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.