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The sentencing for a Livermore man who’s been convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the death of a 20-year-old woman who was a passenger in his car in a crash in Oakland four years ago was postponed last week at the request of his attorney.
Travis Maresca, 24, didn’t even show up at his scheduled sentencing hearing last Friday.
Defense attorney Robert Byers told Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer that Maresca couldn’t make it to court because his father went out of town with the family’s car.
The California Highway Patrol said Maresca, then 20 years old, was under the influence of alcohol and drugs in a crash near the High Street exit of eastbound Interstate 580 in Oakland at about 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015, in which his 2009 Toyota Scion struck a pole and came to rest blocking the freeway’s MacArthur Boulevard/High Street on-ramp.
Maresca’s passenger, Kayla Turner, 20, of San Jose was pronounced dead at the scene.
Maresca pleaded no contest Aug. 24 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Judge Kevin Murphy told Maresca at that hearing that he could be placed on probation for three to five years when he’s sentenced or face up to four years in state prison.
Murphy said the plea was “an open agreement,” which means that it will be up to Cramer, the sentencing judge, to determine Maresca’s punishment.
“We’ll just have to wait until the sentencing to see how all that unfolds,” Murphy told Maresca.
Prosecutor Nick Homer said he’s spoken to Turner’s family and “they have very strong feelings about what happened but their feelings about what should happen to the defendant (Maresca) are somewhat nuanced, as one can imagine in a case like this.”
However, Homer said he hadn’t been able to reach Turner’s family before the plea agreement was reached.
Homer said, “It’s quite possible they will be attending the hearing and will have some very strong feelings to voice to the court at the sentencing. I don’t know what those feelings would be.”
Maresca’s sentencing is now scheduled for Feb. 15.
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WTF???? he couldn’t make his sentencing because his father was out of town with the family car??? That has got to be one of the worst poor excuses ever.Hey Travis–public transportation. Or what the hell are you doing out of jail when you already killed someone while you were intoxicated while you were under the legal drinking age. What the hell is he still driving even?????
judge should ask for his phone – if uber and/or lyft are on it go directly to jail, do not pass go – or better yet, eject from country.