A Long Beach man pleaded no contest to causing a fatal DUI crash on Christmas Eve in 2023 and agreed to a four-year sentence Thursday, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
Ricardo Cordoba, 28, was charged with one count of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of his friend, Emilio Carbajal Cruz, who was 27 and also from Long Beach.
Deputy District Attorney Fiana Kumetz read a pair of victim-impact statements at Thursday’s hearing, according to the minute order for Department D in the San Fernando courthouse.
Kumetz was not immediately available for comment Friday.
Carbajal’s family members also gave victim-impact statements for Judge Michael Terrell to consider.
Cordoba has been out on bail since he was released from custody Dec. 29. He pleaded not guilty to the initial charge that day. He’s scheduled to begin his sentence March 24.
California Highway Patrol officers reported that they came across Cruz’s 2010 Chevrolet Camaro around 1:50 a.m., facing north in the southbound lanes of State Route 14, near the Newhall Avenue exit, with major damage on the passenger side, according to a CHP report.
Cordoba was in the driver’s seat and displaying obvious signs of intoxication, according to the report from the responding CHP officer, which stated Cordoba’s blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit an hour after the crash.
In an interview shortly after the crash, he indicated to officers that on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “blackout drunk,” he was an 8, and that he had had two “Tall Boy” cans between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m, according to a CHP officer’s sworn affidavit. Cordoba told officers he thought he was on Interstate 710 at the time of the crash.
“My little brother was one of a kind and will be missed by thousands, he was a loving person and talked to everyone. To those who knew him, Emilio’s smile would light up a room. He was a doting father, dear friend, cherished brother, son, uncle and one of the most kind-hearted and humble individuals you’d ever meet. He is deeply missed by all of us, especially his daughter,” wrote Carbajal Cruz’s sister, Maria Carbajal, in a GoFundMe page for the family. She was one of several who gave impact statements in court.
