A suspected drunken driver in a crash that killed a mother and injured two of her children in Hesperia has a history of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Jose Vargas, 41, allegedly drove intoxicated and crashed into Lissette Villaseñor’s car along Route 395 as she traveled with her 6-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter on May 11, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said.
Authorities said Vargas was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit the family head-on.
“That day, she took her three kids to school, picked them up, drove to soccer practice, dropped him off there, and was on her way to her daughter’s final cheer day for the season,” Krystal Giron, Villaseñor’s sister-in-law, said.
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NBC4 learned Vargas has a lengthy past, with several DUI convictions in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. He is currently on probation and faces multiple charges, including murder.
Villaseñor’s family says the law needs to be stricter when it comes to driving while intoxicated.
“DUI driving per state law is considered a nonviolent felony. I differ. It’s more than violent; it’s your life,” Giron said.
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Giron said her niece was in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash and saw her mother draw her last breath.
“They’re going to need therapists because she saw everything, unfortunately,” Jesse Giron, Villaseñor’s brother, said.
He noted that his sister was “all about her family” and devoted all her time to her kids.
“Till the very last day, she often said with pride, ‘All I ever wanted in life was to be a wife and to be a mom,’” Krystal Giron added.
