DUBLIN — A San Jose man has been sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for killing two women in a DUI crash on Thanksgiving Day 2021, after a plea deal that allowed for two possible prison terms, depending on his conduct, court records show.
Through a plea agreement with Alameda County prosecutors, 28-year-old Robert Jacob Espinoza was given two options: Behave himself while out of custody awaiting formal sentencing and receive the seven-year, four-month term. Or, get in trouble with law enforcement and face up to 11 years.
At his June 14 sentencing hearing, Judge Paul Delucchi affirmed that Espinoza had lived up to his end of the bargain and sentenced him to the lesser term. But before the hearing could end, Espinoza heard from family members of the two women he killed.
“My wife and I never thought that we would bury one of our children,” Donald Pereira, whose daughter, Charlotte Pereira, was killed in the crash, said in court. “We not only grieved for ourselves but for our other children and two grandsons left behind without their mother … Every birthday, holiday and family function is a constant reminder of our loss.”
Espinoza was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving in the deaths of Pereira and Ann Marie Carpaneto. Police say Espinoza crashed into their parked Volkswagen on Interstate 880 in Union City at around 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving 2021 and that three people in a Tesla were hurt too.
Carpaneto’s sister-in-law, Patricia Olivia-Rodriguez, told Espinoza at the hearing she felt sympathy for his family for “going through hell” and that everyone wishes he made “better choices” and the crash never took place.
“I hope that you have remorse, Robert, and understand the magnitude of what you have done to two families who have changed forever,” Olivia-Rodriguez said. “Maybe someday if you ever have children, you will know the pain that this caused.”
Espinoza’s attorney said in court his client is “extremely remorseful” and hopes the sentence will lend some closure to those involved. Judge Delucchi said he read expressions of “contrition and remorse” in Espinoza’s probation report as well.
“I mean, I can impose a sentence but I can’t make the feelings that Mr. Pereira and the other people mentioned, I can’t make that go away,” Delucchi said. “So those are things that, God bless you, you’re going to be struggling with and I wish you the best for that.”
Originally Published: