Woman who livestreamed deadly Merced County DUI crash on parole after serving 26 months
A Stockton woman who livestreamed a DUI crash that killed her sister in Merced County two years ago is now on parole.
Obdulia Sanchez was sentenced to six years and four months in prison last year after a single-vehicle traffic collision killed her sister.
A spokesperson from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Saturday confirmed Sanchez was released on parole Sept. 21.
Sanchez, who was 18 at the time of the July 21, 2017, crash, was livestreaming herself while driving when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a field near the intersection of Henry Miller Road and Highway 140, north of Los Banos.
The crash killed her 14-year-old sister, Jacqueline Sanchez, and injured Jacqueline’s 14-year-old girlfriend, Manuela Ceja.
Sanchez’s blood alcohol content registered at 0.106 about 90 minutes after the crash, according to court records. But it was Sanchez’s actions right after the collision that grabbed national attention.
Sanchez livestreamed her sister’s dead body, telling her to wake up, while saying she killed her sister and was “going to jail.”
“Sanchez received milestone credits for successful completion of approved rehabilitative or educational programs,” he said, noting she was also approved for the state’s Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program. She had been in that program since Nov. 8, 2018.
The program allows serious and violent crime offenders to serve their sentence in the community while providing services aimed at re-entering the community, treatment for substance use disorders, relationships, employment and education, Dodson said.
While the reentry program is not a secure facility, Dodson said, participants are monitored and rewarded for good behavior by re-entering the community for work or school.
This story was originally published September 28, 2019 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Woman who livestreamed deadly Merced County DUI crash on parole after serving 26 months."