Exactly three years to the day after a crash in East Palo Alto killed a passenger in the front seat of the car she was driving, Leylani Simmons, 28, was convicted today of second degree murder, according to the San Mateo County district attorney.
In addition to the murder count, Simmons, of East Palo Alto, was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and felony evading, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
The jury trial in San Mateo County Superior Court lasted eight days, and the jury deliberated for three and a half hours over two days, delivering their verdict at 10:30 a.m. this morning.
Prosecutors said that on June 17, 2011, Simmons was driving through East Palo Alto at 10:30 p.m. with a passenger when police pursued her for one-and-a-half miles at speeds between 60 and 80 miles per hour.
During the pursuit, Simmons ran through at least six stop signs, drove on the wrong side of the road, and ultimately lost control of her vehicle, causing it to overturn and pinning the passenger between the car and the pavement, killing her.
Wagstaffe said Simmons would be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Aug. 6 and faces 15 years to life in prison.
Simmons remains in custody on no bail.
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--Bay City News
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