By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced a 34-year-old woman today to 15 years to life in prison after she struck and killed 54-year-old Stanley Spaeth while driving drunk in April 2009 - her fifth drunken driving offense.
![Rebecca Vela[1].jpg](http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/Rebecca%20Vela%5B1%5D.jpg)
Judge Kevin J. McCormick handed down the sentence - the maximum Rebecca Vela (left) faced - during an emotional hearing this afternoon.
Vela's blood-alcohol level was .21 the night of April 18, 2009 when she rear-ended Spaeth's motorcycle as he was headed home on East Stockton Boulevard in Elk Grove. He had just finished a shift working as a security guard - a second job he had picked up to help pay for his older daughter's upcoming college tuition.
In September, McCormick found Vela guilty of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, driving under the influence with prior convictions for the offense and hit-and-run.
Several of Spaeth's relatives spoke at today's hearing of their devastation over his death, his wife's struggle with financial ruin and their collective anger toward a woman whose pattern of drunken driving had reached a fatal climax.
"Rebecca Vela had many opportunities to change her behavior and stop drinking and driving before she murdered our son," said Virginia Spaeth, the victim's mother.
Vela cried for much of the hearing and offered a tearful apology to her victim's family.
"There are no words to express my remorse, my shame or my guilt," she sobbed. "I'm deeply sorry."
She went on to pledge to begin bettering herself, and to "never drink again."
After the sentencing, Spaeth's family members embraced each other and the Elk Grove police detectives who investigated the case.
Spaeth's wife, Denise Spaeth, was somber in her reaction to Vela's sentence.
"It's not a cause for celebration, but it's as much justice as we can have," she said, her eyes red and swollen. "I would rather the law for first offenders change to make this not happen again."
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.
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