Drunk Driver Sentenced To 26 To Life For Killing Cyclist
A Canyon Country man was sentenced today to 26 years to life in prison for a fatal DUI two years ago that killed one cyclist and injured three others.
San Fernando Superior Court Judge Daniel Feldstern sentenced Marco Antonio Valencia, 22. He was convicted in April of second-degree murder for the July 11, 2009 DUI accident that killed cyclist Joseph Novotny. Deputy District Attorney William Chung prosecuted the case.
A jury also found Valencia guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with .08 percent blood alcohol causing injury. A jury also found true the allegations of causing great bodily injury.
Valencia, who was on probation for two separate misdemeanor DUI cases at the time, was driving his pickup on Bouquet Canyon Road when he struck the four cyclists about 11 a.m. The other three later recovered from their injuries. Valencia then took off but was arrested about 90 minutes later by the California Highway Patrol.
To read the original stories about this incident, click here and here
