Murder and other charges have been filed against a Santa Barbara man who allegedly was intoxicated when he caused a crash that killed two people earlier this week in Goleta, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
Andrew Raymond Burgher, 31, was arrested following the collision that occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on Cathedral Oaks Road at Camino Cascada, between Kellogg Avenue and Cambridge Drive.
Burgher was the driver and sole occupant of a 2016 Toyota 4-Runner that was eastbound on Cathedral Oaks Road at a high rate of speed when it slammed into the back of a 2002 Ford Mustang, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Gutierrez.
“The Mustang spun clockwise and struck two parked vehicles along the south curb of Cathedral Oaks Road,” Gutierrez said.
The crash killed driver Gilberto Arteaga-Gutierrez, 40, of Santa Barbara and Silvia Velasco, 45, of Lompoc, who were declared dead at the scene.
Burgher was transported by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, then booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail.
In the felony criminal complaint filed against him, Burgher is charged with two counts of murder and one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The complaint also alleges that Burgher has two previous misdemeanor DUI convictions, which could lead to a longer prison term if he is convicted in the current case.
The complaint further alleges that Burgher violated two Penal Code sections: personally inflicting great bodily injury, and causing death or bodily injury to more than one victim.
Burgher appeared Thursday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for arraignment, which was continued until Wednesday.
He remained in custody Thursday, with bail set at $2.05 million.
Superior Court records indicate that Burgher has prior misdemeanor convictions for driving under the influence — in 2010 and 2012.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the incident is requested to contact the CHP at 805.967.1234.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.