Former LAPD officer pleads guilty to murder for DUI crash that killed family
Edgar Verduzco
LOS ANGELES - A former LAPD officer pleaded guilty Friday to murder for a crash that killed three family members.
What we know:
Edgar Verduzco, 34, faces three concurrent terms of 15 years to life in state prison for murder.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
According to the DA's office, Verduzco pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and one count of driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury.
The backstory:
On Sept. 26, 2017, Verduzco, who was off-duty at the time, was driving at 150 miles per hour while under the influence of alcohol and struck two vehicles on the 605 Freeway, the DA's office said.
One of the cars hit a center divider and burst into flames, killing three family members, Maribel Davila, Mario Davila, and their 19-year-old son, Oscar Davila.
The driver of the other vehicle, a mother with a baby in a car seat, suffered minor injuries.
What they're saying:
"As a police officer, Mr. Verduzco was aware that recklessly driving under the influence of alcohol at 150 miles per hour was extremely dangerous to human life and could result in the death of innocent victims, as it tragically did in this case," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "Oscar Davila, a beloved student at UC Riverside, was just 19 years old, and his life and his parents’ lives were senselessly taken in an instant."