A San Francisco woman pleaded guilty in Sonoma County Superior Court this morning to all charges in connection with a vehicle crash that killed two Cloverdale women and injured three others in July.
Lyndsay Murray-Mazany, 27, pleaded guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI and DUI with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more.
She also admitted several enhancements alleging the July 18 crash during a wine tasting outing near Geyserville caused multiple injuries or death, caused felony bodily harm, and that the victims were elderly.
Judge Rene Chouteau has indicated during settlement conferences he will sentence her to no more than seven years in prison on Dec. 17, defense attorney Chris Andrian said.
The maximum penalty on all four felony charges and the enhancements is 20 years.
Andrian said Chouteau reviewed other sentences in fatal DUI cases and noted his client has no criminal record.
Andrian said Murray-Mazany, who works in a San Francisco real estate office, “wanted to plead guilty since her first day in court.
“She is incredibly, incredibly remorseful and wanted to accept the consequences from the very first day,” Andrian said.
Deputy District Attorney Robin Hammond would not say if she will argue for more than seven years in prison.
“There was no agreement with the district attorney’s office. This is the judge’s indicated sentence,” Hammond said.
Murray-Mazany is free under $200,000 bail.
Murray-Mazany was driving a 2004 Hyundai south on Geyserville Avenue when she failed to negotiate a 90-degree curve and struck the right side of an eastbound 2001 Subaru Forrester around 5:30 p.m. on July 19, the California Highway Patrol said.
Two passengers in the Subaru, Beverly Jones and Nancy McBride, both 77, of Cloverdale, were killed on impact.
The driver of the Subaru, Katherine Hinzman, 56, of Cloverdale, and two other passengers, Alice Sheperla, 82, and Barbara King, 70, both of Cloverdale, suffered moderate to major injuries and went to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.
The women in the Subaru had attended a play at Santa Rosa Junior College and were heading to Geyserville for dinner, the CHP said.
Murray-Mazany told the CHP she and her three passengers, who were not injured, had been wine tasting in the Dry Creek and Geyserville area.
Sonoma County Assistant District Attorney Diana Gomez said Murray-Mazany’s blood-alcohol level at the crash site was 0.10 percent and 0.09 percent a half-hour later. The level a person is considered intoxicated is 0.08 percent.
James Lanaras, Bay City News
