BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The man suspected in a fatal crash on Taft Highway that claimed the lives of a mother and her daughter in 2017 has been found guilty on multiple counts of murder, according to court documents.
On Thursday, a jury convicted Vincent Moroyoqui of Bakersfield with two counts of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
According to CHP, 51-year-old Raeleen Sorensen and her 19-year-old daughter were traveling on Taft Highway near Buena Vista Road when investigators say Moroyoqui slammed into their car. Both women died at the scene.
Back in 2017, a 23ABC investigation found that Moroyoqui had a history of driving while intoxicated. Court records showed that he had been charged with a DUI three times over a fifteen-year span, but was never convicted for those charges. In every case, he took a plea deal. Two plea deals resulted in a conviction of "wet reckless" driving, or driving while partially intoxicated and the third led to a conviction of "dry reckless" driving.
Moroyoqui is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5. He faces a sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.
