High court upholds sentence against drunk driver in fatal Moscoso Bridge crash
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres expressed satisfaction on Monday with the decision of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court to deny the second request for reconsideration filed by Mayra Nevárez Torres, which upholds the 15-year prison sentence for the death of Justin Santos Delanda and for causing serious bodily harm to Keven Monserrate Gandía in a November 2021 drunk-driving crash on the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge in San Juan.
“As a result of this decision, Ms. Nevárez Torres must serve fifteen years in prison for causing the death of Justin Santos Delanda and for causing serious bodily harm to Keven Monserrate Gandía,” Gómez Torres said in a written statement. “This ruling reaffirms the public policy of protecting life, guaranteeing justice for victims of crime, and firmly combating drunk driving. The message is unequivocal: every action has consequences, and public safety is non-negotiable.”
Nevárez Torres was found guilty in September 2024 in the Caguas Court of driving negligently and while intoxicated, causing the accident that resulted in the death of Santos Delanda and left Monserrate Gandía seriously injured. She was sentenced in November of that year.
The Justice secretary added that the Supreme Court determination validates the position of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“Today, justice is served for Justin and his family, and the serious, responsible, and professional work of our prosecutors Edmanuel Santiago, Luis Valentín Córdova, and Jesús Torres González, as well as that of Solicitor General Omar Andino Figueroa, is recognized,” she said.
According to the investigation presented at the trial, Nevárez Torres was driving a Hyundai Tucson while intoxicated, in the wrong direction and at excessive speed, hitting the CanAm vehicle in which Santos Delanda and Monserrate Gandía were traveling.
Prosecutor Valentín Córdova stressed in his final report that Nevárez Torres had 0.29 percent alcohol in her blood, almost four times the limit allowed by law.
Lawyers for Nevárez Torres filed the second request for consideration in the case this past September.