Drunk driver who killed Fresno grandmother sentenced. ‘You guessed wrong,’ judge says
Nikki Jasso tried to do the right thing the night she drank too much. She decided to stay at a friend’s house instead of driving home.
The next morning, thinking she was sober, the 28-year-old Fresno mother of two got into her 2015 Nissan Altima and headed home.
It would prove to be a tragic mistake.
A short time later, at about 7 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2022, she ran a red light at McKinley and Peach avenues, crashing into several cars including a 2010 Scion driven by 68-year-old Suzanne Hood.
Hood, a retired real estate agent, was taken to the hospital where she died.
Jasso was arrested and charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated along with several other felonies. She pleaded no contest to the gross vehicular manslaughter charge in December and was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison.
A tearful Jasso apologized to Hood’s family and friends.
“I want to send my deepest condolences to the family,” she said. “No words can help bring back the pain I have caused.”
Her attorney Rebekah Bergh pleaded with Judge Mark E. Cullers to grant her client probation. She said Jasso has faced many challenges in her life, including a traumatic childhood and an abusive relationship. She was working at Community Regional Medical Center as a patient care technician and was studying to become a nurse.
Prosecutor Christopher Moss along with Hood’s family members pushed for the maximum of 10 years.
Moss noted that Jasso told police she had been drinking Hennessy cognac the night before the crash. And several hours after the crash, her blood alcohol level measured .13%, above the legal limit of .08%.
In sentencing her to six years in prison, Cullers weighed Jasso’s lack of criminal history, including no previous DUIs, and her efforts to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. But he also found fault with her decision to drive home.
“I don’t think that you really thought you were sober enough to drive,” the judge said. “But you took the chance to drive and make it home. You guessed wrong, terribly wrong.”
Hood’s family members said the loss of their loved one has been extremely difficult.
Alexis Hood, a granddaughter, said her grandmother was like her second mother and was a pivotal part of her upbringing.
“Her hugs and kisses had the ability to heal heartaches,” she said. “And the reality is that the person who gave me the best memories is now a memory herself.”
Matthew Hood, Suzanne’s son, said his mother was only a block away from their home when she was killed. She was out that morning, getting breakfast for her husband and herself.
“I will never get the chance to say ‘mom and dad, I love you’ and get a response back,” he said. “That was taken from me.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
