Special to the PRESS
Alejandro Bernal Petricioli
When Alejandro Bernal Petricioli struck pedestrian Reyna Hernandez Garcia along Hwy 100 in Port Isabel, he continued driving and later told police he believed he “ran over a rock or something.”
When he was advised that he had hit Garcia, Petricioli added, “She must have gotten in his way.”
Reyna, 44, was said to be walking on the shoulder on her way to work.
A jury in the 404th state District Court found Petricioli, 55, guilty Friday of intoxication manslaughter – a second-degree felony – and on Monday sentenced him to six years in jail for the November 2009 crime.
In addition to having red, blood-shot eyes and smelling of alcohol, blood tests taken two hours post-accident resulted in a .10. The legal alcohol limit is .08.
In a statement Petricioli gave police, he stated he was drinking with co-workers at their workplace at about 6:20 p.m. and admitted to having three to four beers. He stated he arrived at his Port Isabel home at 8:30 p.m., but later left to the grocery store. Garcia was struck shortly after 9 p.m.
When Petricioli was to appear in court after posting bond in 2010, he failed to appear, and his whereabouts were unknown for two years. He later turned himself in and was taken into custody with no bond. Petricioli also had previous DWI convictions.
Assistant District Attorneys Evan Robbins and Brett Pattillo prosecuted the case.
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