DRUNK DRIVER GETS 45 YEARS TO LIFE SENTENCE HANDED DOWN FOR CRASH THAT KILLED FATHER, TWO CHILDREN ON 118 FREEWAY.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer SAN FERNANDO San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. -- Four years ago, Timothy Whelan's drunken race down the Ronald Reagan Freeway claimed the lives of a man and his two young children. On Friday, it earned him 45 years to life in prison. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Superior Court Judge Shari Silver handed down the sentence for the second-degree murder convictions in the deaths of Juan Tellez and his daughter, Nohemi, 7 and son, Gerardo, 5. ``It was a horrific crash, and do you know the speed? One hundred and fifty six miles per hour,'' said Deputy District Attorney Greg Denton, who prosecuted the case. ``He was very intoxicated in·tox·i·cate v. in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing, in·tox·i·cates v.tr. 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol. 2. . The outrageousness of the speed and alcohol made the decision to file murder charges.'' Whelan was 35 when the Nov. 5, 2003, crash occurred. Behind the wheel with a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 percent -- more than three times the legal limit to drive -- he roared his black Corvette corvette, small warship, classed between a frigate and a sloop-of-war. Corvettes usually were flush-decked and carried fewer than 28 guns. They were widely employed in escorting convoys and attacking merchant ships during the great naval wars of the late 18th and down the 118 just after 2 a.m. Near Louise Avenue, Tellez, a 25-year-old floor installer, was driving home to 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. after visiting his mother. As he cruised in the car-pool lane, his two children belted into the seat behind him, he noticed lights rapidly advancing in the rearview mirror of his Honda Civic The Honda Civic is a compact car manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the . He moved to the right to avoid the approaching hazard, but the lights followed. Whelan smashed into Tellez, knocking him into the center divider. The smaller car disintegrated, spewing debris for nearly a mile. Its gas tank ruptured, and the car burst into flames. Tellez and his children were killed instantly. Whelan suffered minor injuries. An ex-con who'd done a dozen years in prison on drug charges, Whelan owned several tattoo parlors and lived in La Canada Flintridge. His attorney argued unsuccessfully that Whelan had actually been the passenger, while Mike Whitaker, a parolee pa·rol·ee n. One who is released on parole. Noun 1. parolee - someone released on probation or on parole probationer out on weapons, false identity, drug and burglary charges, had been the driver. Denton said he expects an appeal. Whelan's attorney, Carlo Spiga, could not be reached for comment Friday. Even more than three years after the crash, the scene remained vivid to Officer Leland Tang, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. . He still remembers getting the early morning call to come view the gruesome destruction. ``We found the engine on the side of the road, and the whole front end of the Corvette was just peeled away,'' he said. ``It was just really tragic, especially when children die.'' brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3738 |
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