A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian in a grocery store parking lot.
A Yolo County jury on Thursday convicted Donna Marie McClure of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The jury also found that McClure drove her car without a valid license and failed to yield to a pedestrian when she struck and killed Jewell Mattos in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.
According to witnesses and surveillance video, Mattos walked out of Raley's shortly after 10 a.m. and was halfway through the crosswalk when McClure ran into her with her car. McClure failed to stop until Mattos had been carried 20 to 30 feet.
Mattos suffered serious injuries and died the following day at UC Davis Medical Center. Officials said evidence showed that McClure's view was not obstructed and she had more than adequate opportunity to brake before the crosswalk.
The prosecutor argued the McClure committed gross negligence because she had been repeatedly warned by her doctor and the Department of Motor Vehicles that she could not safely drive because of lapses in consciousness, judgment and attention caused by chronic alcoholism.
Officials said McClure admitted to police that she knew her license had been suspended, and there was testimony that nothing prevented McClure's passenger from driving the car that day. McClure reportedly told police that she had too much pride to ask her friends for rides.
McClure is to be sentenced Oct. 14 by Yolo County Superior Court Judges Timothy Fall.
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