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Johnigan Convicted of Murder in Crash that Killed DA Investigator

Santa Barbara woman faces sentence of 15 years to life in fatal drunken-driving collision on Highway 154

By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | Published on 09.15.2009

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Ashley Johnigan was convicted of second-degree murder Tuesday in the 2008 crash that killed Laura Cleaves, a senior investigator with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. The 24-year-old Santa Barbara woman faces 15 years to life in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 15.

Johnigan had admitted she was driving drunk at the time of the accident, which occurred just before midnight May 1, 2008, on Highway 154 near the intersection of Highway 246 in Santa Ynez. Cleaves, 53, of Santa Ynez, died at the scene; Johnigan suffered minor injuries, as did the driver of a third car involved in the collision.

A Santa Barbara Superior Court jury in Santa Maria returned guilty verdicts on charges of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent. Johnigan was acquitted of a special allegation that her actions caused serious injuries to more than one person.

Johnigan, who had been free on bail, was taken into custody after the verdicts were announced.

Cleaves’ husband, Steve, is a sheriff’s sergeant and they have two adult daughters, Krista and Kelly.

— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk.

Comments

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» Bill Clausen on 09.16.09 @ 03:25 AM

And if this isn’t bad enough, the “wine tasting” rooms are popping up like mushrooms all over Santa Ynez Valley.

Three rules that cannot be denied: One cannot gauge their own sobriety; it is not always possible to gauge another person’s sobriety; one does not have to be *legally* drunk to be dangerous and held liable. (Such as the man with the 0.069 blood-alcohol level who hit and nearly killed my father a few years back.