Man Reneges on Guilty Plea in Drunk-Driving Deaths

Two months after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder stemming from a 1996 drunk-driving crash, a Santa Ana man said he wants to withdraw his plea because he did not understand the consequences of his admission.

Fernando Quezada Perez said Friday that he was not informed that admitting to driving the car that crashed into and killed 14-year-old Sonia Ruiz and 4-year-old Ruben Quiroga might send him to prison for life.

Perez was supposed to be sentenced to state prison on Friday. Instead, Superior Court Judge Richard F. Toohey ordered Perez to appear next Friday with a new attorney. At that time, Toohey may consider the defendant’s argument that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.

The sentence for the crime, 15 years to life, was made very clear to Perez, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Claudia Silbar. “It was in all the paperwork he signed. And he said he understood.”