DASHED DREAMS; TRIAL SET TO START FOR DRUNK-DRIVING SUSPECT.Byline: Peter Hartlaub Daily News Staff Writer Roberto Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the and Michelle Pagan each were looking forward to what they thought would be the best holiday season ever. He was anticipating the birth of his second child. She had a car full of presents for her 7-year-old nephew and was excited about one of the largest family gatherings in years. Their dreams ended in a high-speed collision about 3:15 a.m. on Christmas morning. Today, the story of this tragedy that has forever changed Forever Changed was a Christian Rock band from Tallahassee and Orlando, FL. They came together in 1999 and broke up in 2006. Dan Cole was the lead singer, a guitarist, and a pianist. Ben O'Rear was the lead guitarist, Tom Gustafson played bass, and Nathan Lee played the drums. each family is set to unfold in Van Nuys Superior Court, where Flores is charged with driving drunk, running a red light and killing Pagan. The crash occurred at the corner of Victory and Van Nuys boulevards as Flores drove his pregnant wife to the hospital. In court, attorneys will argue whether the Sun Valley father of two is guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter vehicular manslaughter n. the crime of causing the death of a human being due to illegal driving of an automobile, including gross negligence, drunk driving, reckless driving, or speeding. - which would lead to a longer prison sentence and Flores' mandatory deportation deportation, expulsion of an alien from a country by an act of its government. The term is not applied ordinarily to sending a national into exile or to committing one convicted of crime to an overseas penal colony (historically called transportation). without his wife and children. ``If I could have been the one who died that day, I would,'' Flores said during an interview in his lawyer's office. ``If I could switch places, I would do it for their family.'' Flores' attorney, Francisco Zavala, said Flores wants to do some jail time to ``pay the Pagan family back for their loss.'' The Pagan family had wanted Flores tried for second-degree murder. The day before trial, family members said they are even more angry than when the crash occurred. ``That car might as well have been a gun,'' said Theresa Maciel, the fiancee of Michelle's brother Will. ``That car was an object to kill someone.'' Will Pagan, the eldest of Michelle's five siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) , said he wants Flores to serve a lengthy prison sentence but doesn't want to see him deported. ``He needs to take care of his family,'' he said. ``He should stay here.'' Shortly after the crash, Zavala took the case on for free, deciding that Flores was ``a good man who made one bad decision.'' Flores is facing 10 years in prison. With a simple vehicular manslaughter charge, Flores could receive a five-year sentence and could petition to stay in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Zavala said. For both the Pagan and Flores families, life has changed a great deal since the crash. Flores said he expected to stay in jail until trial, but relatives put up their property, and he's been free on $50,000 bail since. His job as a painter was waiting for him after he got out of jail - along with letters of support from more than 80 friends. Pagan's parents have kept the promise they made during her funeral that they would move from Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (pwār`tō rē`kō), island (2005 est. pop. 3,917,000), 3,508 sq mi (9,086 sq km), West Indies, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) SE of Miami, Fla. back to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . They had lived for about 13 years in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . ``Something about that accident brought the family even closer,'' Maciel said. ``We don't walk out of the house without saying `I love you.' Now we know life is so short, we need to say how we feel about each other.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Roberto Perez Flores, shown at his Sun Valley home with his wife, Sandra Janneth Perez, and their sons Adonis, 2, and Lucero, 7 months, will go on trial today in Van Nuys Superior Court for the Christmas morning death of Michelle Pagan. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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