LAKESIDE, California – A drunk driver who fatally hit a runner with his work truck three years ago was convicted of murder on Wednesday.
Michael Jason Woodfell, 49, was found guilty by an El Cajon jury in the August 27, 2018 accident that killed 41-year-old Susanna Gottel, a mother of two. The jury returned the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.
Woodfield, who faces up to 15 years in prison, will be sentenced on November 29.
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Gotel was hit by a car on Woodside Avenue near Riverford Road at around 6:40 p.m., and later died at the hospital.
Deputy District Attorney Kali Bright told jurors that Woodfill was on probation at the time of the crash for the 2016 DUI verdict, which led to a murder charge against him.
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The prosecutor claimed that the defendant had a blood alcohol content of 0.21% three hours after the accident, which is almost three times the legal limit in California.
After hitting the gutter, Woodfield’s truck continued to descend with a dirty drum and turn to the side. He was arrested at the scene.
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