El Paso Driver Gets 10 Years in Bicyclist Death

A West Texas driver has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for striking and killing a bicyclist in a 2009 daytime wreck.

A jury in El Paso on Monday sentenced 29-year-old Araceli Nava, who was convicted last week of manslaughter.

The case involved the death of 47-year-old Gustavo Vega. The victim on Aug. 29, 2009, was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of a road when he was hit by an SUV in a midmorning accident.

Prosecutors say Nava had been drinking hours earlier at a party. Nava, in a 911 call after the accident, told a dispatcher that she had been drinking, using a cellphone and was falling asleep while driving her SUV.

Nava, who apologized in court to Vega's family, must also pay a $10,000 fine.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us