Politics & Government
Jury Convicts Windsor Man Of Murder For Driving Drunk And Killing Man In Head-On Collision
After less than three hours of deliberations, a Sonoma County jury found defendant Josimar Ortiz-Ortiz, 29 years old of Windsor, guilty.
June 29, 2021
SONOMA COUNTY, CA — After less than three hours of deliberations, a Sonoma County jury found defendant Josimar Ortiz-Ortiz, 29 years old of Windsor, guilty of second-degree murder on Monday afternoon for his actions in October of 2018 when he killed another man by colliding head-on with the victim’s vehicle while driving intoxicated on Old Redwood Highway.
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District Attorney Ravitch stated, “Every motorist in Sonoma County should be acutely aware that impaired drivers who cause the death of another with their vehicle face a potential murder charge. It is simply not worth it. This was a tragic incident that was completely avoidable.”
On Oct. 30, 2018, Ortiz-Ortiz drank about eight beers on his way home from work. By the time he was heading south on Old Redwood Highway towards Windsor his blood alcohol content was.23. Ortiz was weaving in his lane and crossed the double yellow lines twice before crashing into Jose Beltran, who was driving north to Healdsburg. The crash was so violent that both cars spun out and landed in a ditch about 230 feet apart. Mr. Beltran’s car smashed into a pole on the driver’s side. Mr. Beltran was subsequently trapped in his car and had to be removed by fire personnel. He died in the ambulance of multiple injuries caused by the crash.
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Ortiz-Ortiz had a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2015 where he was advised by the court (per standard sentencing conditions) that if he continued to drink and drive and he killed someone he could be charged with murder. Ortiz-Ortiz then attended the mandated drunk driving program where he learned about the dangers of drinking and driving to all motorists. Despite all of this education, Ortiz-Ortiz chose to drink and drive on Oct. 30, 2018 and killed Mr. Beltran.
Ortiz-Ortiz is facing a prison sentence of 15 years to life in state prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 26, 2021.
The case was investigated by the California Highway Patrol and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marianna Green.
This press release was produced by the Sonoma County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.