A drunk insurance executive who struck and killed a Miami Heat cheerleader has been sent to jail for 15 years.
A court found Mario Careaga, 46, guilty of manslaughter while drunk after he hit 22-year-old Nancy Lopez-Ruiz with his Mercedes after she had pulled over on the side of the road in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Careaga hit the stationary motorcycle she had been riding, sending her flying into the air. He is expected to appeal the verdict.
Before the court handed down its verdict, Lopez-Ruiz’s family asked the court to give Careaga the maximum 15-year sentence.
“When he says that he’s willing to take responsibility, it’s not true,” Lopez-Ruiz’s sister Marjorie said.
Lopez-Ruiz had just landed her dream job with the Miami Heat cheerleaders and was expected to start performing with them in October 2010, a month after she was struck and killed.
She was coming home from practice on the night she died.
The court heard that Careaga crossed three lanes of traffic before hitting her.
Police said the wealthy insurance executive was “swaying from side to side in a circular motion” when they arrived at the scene.
“(He had) bloodshot, glassy eyes, slurred speech, the odor of alcoholic beverages coming from his person, unsteady balance and difficulty supporting himself,” police said, according to NBC Miami.
Careaga claims he only had two vodkas before he got behind the wheel, but his blood alcohol level of 0.28, more than three times the legal limit in Florida, indicated otherwise, police said.
In another twist in the case, Careaga’s lawyers called for a mistrial after allegations surfaced that a juror made anti-gay comments about Careaga, who is gay. The judge said there was no evidence that Careaga was convicted because of his sexual orientation.
This article originally appeared on News.com.au.