SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. - A Santa Clara County jury has found a 24-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder for running over his neighbor.
In 2009, Richard Delgadillo III smashed his grandfather's borrowed Honda into 46-year-old Donna Fife, who was about to call police for his dangerous driving, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said Monday.
In years past, Delgadillo had been in at least five other incidents of reckless driving, including 100 mph police chases and collisions, the DA said in a news release.
Delgado, whose first trial on the charges last year ended with a hung jury voting 10-2 for guilt, is expected to be sentenced on April 19. He faces up to 15 years to life in prison.
On the night of Jan. 19, 2009, neighbors said they saw Delgado doing donuts, leaving tread marks on the asphalt and smoke hanging in the air. Delgado then crashed his Lincoln Mark VIII into a neighbor's fence and drove away. Ten minutes later, Delgado returned, got into another car, aimed it at Mrs. Fife, who had a cell phone in her hand and was ready to call police, accelerated and ran her over, the DA's Office said.
A collision reconstruction expert examined the tread marks left by the Honda and determined that Delgado: accelerated rapidly but never lost control of the car, never made any attempt to stop or slow down before or after he struck Mrs. Fife, and ran her over with both the front and rear driver side wheels, according to the DA's Office.
Delgado took off but was apprehended two hours later when he attempted to return to his home.
In 2012, Delgado was convicted of assault by means of force llkely to produce great bodily injury and false Imprisonment, both felonies, from a 2008 incident unrelated to the murder of Mrs. Fife.
Delgado is awaiting a further trial for his alleged attacks on other inmates in the Santa Clara County Jail.
If convicted of those charges, he could have an additional two years added to his murder sentence.
