Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Orange County, Los Angeles, Dec 24, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Andrew Thomas Gallo, 24, was finally convicted of murder, felony and driving under influence on Wednesday in a District court in Orange County, Los Angeles. According to the sentence, he would be spending 51 years behind the bars. He will be considered eligible for parole after serving 49 years. The hearing turned out to be tearful, with the victims’ families pleading for justice and the defendant apologizing for crimes he had not wanted to commit; as he said to Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey, he had “never intended to hurt anyone.”

Andrew Thomas Gallo was found guilty of crashing into Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others, Courtney Frances Stewart, 20 and Henry Nigel Pearson, 25, all of whom were riding in the same Mitsubishi on Apr 9, 2009 in Fullerton, California. The fourth passenger in the car, Jon Wilhite, 24, suffered major internal injuries but survived. The investigation that followed the fatal crash revealed that Andrew Thomas Gallo was driving on a suspended license. He had also earlier been convicted of another DUI charge.

Andrew Thomas Gallo had apparently walked away after the crash, leaving his half-brother Raymond Rivera, injured and still sitting in the car. He was arrested a few hours later, and upon inquiry confessed that he had no clue as to how he had ended up in Fullerton that night. He was charged with second-degree murder on the grounds that he had drunk and driven despite a prior conviction and the knowledge that DUI is dangerous, according to District Lawyer Susan Price. The convicted man extended his apologies to the families of the victims, who attended the hearing and provided testimony.