Grace Elizabeth Coleman Newport Beach woman charged with murder of two California parents in DUI crash that left their 3 children seriously injured.
A mother and father were killed while their three young daughters were left critically injured following a crash with a 22-year-old woman with a previous DUI.
Young Santa Ana parents Henry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia, 27, and Gabriela Andrade, 28, were declared dead at the scene in Newport Beach, California.
The suspect, Grace Elizabeth Coleman, 22, of Newport Beach, is said to have attempted to walk away from the scene before being apprehended by police.
Coleman was booked on suspicion of driving while impaired, FOX 11 of Los Angeles reported.
Come Thursday, Coleman was charged with two counts of murder in connection with Tuesday night’s crash. Of note, the 22-year-old woman had been arrested for driving under the influence in August and was due for trial.
“Hey, are you there? What happened?” And nobody answered me’
Coleman’s Range Rover is said to have hit the couple’s Nissan Versa which they were traveling in with their three children, aged one, three and five, at around 7.45pm on Tuesday.
The young children are reported to have been in the back seat of the car and later taken to hospital in a critical condition.
At the time of the crash, the family had gone with the father, who worked two jobs, to collect his belt and shoes from the Resort at Pelican Hill – where he worked as a houseman.
Family friend Hugo Gonzalez said he was waiting at the resort with Saldana-Mejia’s clothes when he received a call from the children after the crash.
Told Gonzalez, ‘I answer the phone and nobody answer me, just the children talking, screaming, but nobody answer me.
‘I said, “Hey, are you there? What happened?” And nobody answered me. I think it was the last call.’
He is believed to be the last person to speak to the family alive, recalling their last words to him just 15 minutes prior to Tuesday night’s crash: ‘Take care, bro. Be safe. Remember you are the support for your family. Take care.’
The two families regularly spent time together, with Gonzalez stating he and his wife were best friends with the couple and their children were of similar ages.
Coleman was taken to custody on suspicion of murder, DUI causing bodily injury and hit-and-run resulting in death.
Gabriela’s sister has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay for the young girl’s medical expenses and to go towards paying for the parents’ funeral.
