An alleged drunken driver involved in a hit-and-run that claimed the lives of a Goleta couple in February made a brief remote appearance in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Eric Mauricio Ramirez-Aguilar, 40, of Goleta appeared before Santa Barbara Judge James Herman for a preliminary hearing setting and a hearing setting for an alleged probation violation.
Ramirez-Aguilar is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 25 for a preliminary hearing in the case.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, Ramirez-Aguilar sat inside a room at the Santa Barbara County Jail for the hearing because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Wednesday’s proceeding occurred via Zoom, with attorneys for both sides also using the videoconferencing service.
In February, Ramirez-Aguilar entered not-guilty pleas to the charges of felony manslaughter, DUI and other charges.
The criminal complaint against Ramirez-Aguilar includes two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, a count of hit-and-run causing death, and a count of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition, he faces special allegations of fleeing the scene of a fatal collision and injuring multiple victims.
Ramirez-Aguilar was arrested in February after two pedestrians were struck and killed along Cathedral Oaks Road in Goleta.
Adolfo Corral and Mary Jane Becerra Corral, both 44, suffered fatal injuries on Feb. 9 when they were hit by a vehicle — allegedly driven by Ramirez-Aguilar — while they walked along a bike path that parallels Cathedral Oaks Road east of Ellwood Ridge Road, near the western edge of Goleta.
Adolfo Corral died at the scene, and Mary Jane Corral died shortly after being taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The driver allegedly fled the scene on foot and was arrested more than three hours later in Carpinteria.
Ramirez-Aguilar was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, where he remained Wednesday afternoon with bail set at more than $1 million.
A well-attended community vigil was held for the couple shortly after the incident near the crash site, and hundreds also turned out for a memorial held at Santa Barbara City College.
Adolfo Corral was employed at SBCC as the equity, diversity and cultural competency coordinator, and Mary Jane Becerra Corral worked as a computer specialist for the Goleta Union School District.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod. Ramirez-Aguilar is represented by Deputy Public Defender Juan Higuera.
— 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.