A Santa Barbara Superior Court jury on Thursday found a 66-year-old man guilty of a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter after he hit and fatally injured an elderly pedestrian in a downtown Santa Barbara crosswalk last year.
Lawrence Forgione was charged in connection with the Feb. 24, 2018 crash that killed Gilbert Ramirez, 90, of Santa Barbara.
Forgione, a chef and a culinary icon in the 1970s and ’80s, was driving a small SUV in the 500 block of State Street and was accused of running a red light at a midblock crosswalk as Ramirez was crossing the street.
Ramirez, a World War II veteran and longtime Santa Barbara resident, died of his injuries later that night.
The jury returned the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Forgione’s sentencing is planned for May 28. The trial started April 5 with opening statements.
In a statement, District Attorney Joyce Dudley commended Deputy District Attorney Sarah Barkley for being “relentless in her search for the truth and ensuring that the jury had all the facts they needed to find the defendant guilty as charged.
“Although Mr. Forgione clearly had no intention of killing Mr. Ramirez, driving through a red light is always inherently dangerous and at times like this — deadly,” Dudley said.
The case’s traffic investigation was led by Santa Barbara police Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale, with help from police officer Adam Mik and city of Santa Barbara traffic engineer Derek Bailey, she added.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
