A man who was drunk and driving on a suspended license when he rear-ended a BMW stuck in traffic on Interstate 5 near Del Mar, killing the driver, pleaded guilty Friday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Abraham Beltran, 25, also admitted a count of driving under the influence and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims.
He agreed to a term of 14 years and eight months in state prison, with sentencing set for April 20 before Judge Charles Rogers.
According to testimony at his preliminary hearing, the defendant was traveling between 81 and 89 mph when his Toyota Camry rear-ended the BMW on the northbound I-5 just north of Del Mar Heights Road about 7 a.m. on Feb. 15 last year.
The driver of the 2007 BMW, 52-year-old Oscar Melero of National City, died in an ambulance.
A 2010 Volvo and a 2001 Nissan were also involved in the collision, and another man was seriously injured.
Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright said Beltran’s blood-alcohol level was between .11 and .13 percent at the time, well above the legal limit of .08.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant has prior convictions for driving on a suspended license with excessive alcohol, and had been warned about the dangers of drinking and driving.
—City News Service
