California: Judge for Perla Ibeth Vazquez in death of Frank Winslow: 15 years in prison

Admitting responsibility for the death of a Clovis family man, 27-year-old Perla Ibeth Vazquez told a packed courtroom Tuesday that she wanted to be held accountable for her actions, but insisted: “I am not a murderer.”

Her plea didn’t sway Judge Hilary Chittick.

“This was a murder,” Chittick said bluntly in Fresno County Superior Court before sentencing Vazquez to 15 years to life in prison for getting drunk and causing a crash on Highway 168 in Fresno that killed 54-year-old Frank Winslow in October 2011.

Chittick said a jury was correct last month when it found Vazquez guilty of second-degree murder, felony hit and run, and driving on a suspended license when she caused the fatal crash.