Woman pleads guilty to hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter in Capitola

SANTA CRUZ — The 59-year-old Soquel woman accused of killing a pedestrian at a Capitola mall and fleeing the scene last year avoided trial by pleading guilty to the charges.

Debra Towne, 70, of Capitola, was walking through the Crossroads business loop at Bay Avenue on the night of Nov. 18 when she was struck and killed by a vehicle passing near her home. With the help of surveillance footage from the area, Capitola Police Department investigators linked the hit-and-run to Aurora Lopez, who was driving a 2023 Honda Pilot, and arrested her on December 1. Lopez remained held without bail this week in Santa. Cruz County Jail.

During what was scheduled as a hearing Friday to confirm Lopez’s preliminary hearing this week, she instead changed her previous plea from not guilty to guilty to misdemeanor counts of ordinary negligent manslaughter and hit-and-run causing death, according to Santa Claus. Cruz County Superior Court System. Atypically, Judge Nancy de la Peña scheduled Lopez’s sentencing more than a year later, on December 1, 2025.

Over the past 10 months, Towne’s daughter, Adrienne West, has sat with her family and supporters at every hearing, with court dates continually delayed. Nearly a year later, West said she still feels the need to text or call her mother daily to share important, even insignificant, news. As the holiday season approaches — Towne’s favorite — West said she does her best to keep the memory of her mother alive for her family.

West said over the weekend that she was shocked to see the sudden cancellation of Friday’s plea, especially after Lopez rejected earlier offers of a plea deal from the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.

“To hear her say the word ‘guilty’ – I always feel like she didn’t really feel it – but to hear her say those words was something,” West said. “The only relief I have is not having to see his face, honestly. It kind of stops you in your grieving process.

The combined sentences for the crimes Lopez charges equal a maximum sentence of four years in prison, less time served and credits for good behavior. By the end of next year, Lopez’s sentence will be more than offset by time served, but it will be longer than if she had been sent to prison, where credits can accumulate more quickly.

West said the punishment didn’t seem to fit the crime, and she worried about future traffic accidents Lopez might be involved in after her release.

“A lot of people don’t realize that when you tell people what happened and they’re like, ‘Oh, she’ll have life or whatever,'” West said. “And I’m like, these charges that she has, four was the maximum. Which is crazy, considering drug charges and other less criminal offenses carry 10 years or more.

According to the initial complaint filed against Lopez by Deputy Prosecutor Alex Byers, Lopez had faced a “numerous” series of prior vehicle code violations that were “increasingly serious” since 2007. This driving history was a factor in Lopez receiving the maximum eligible sentence, Byers said.

“The Prosecutor’s Office agrees with Judge de la Peña, who recognized that, based on his driving history and the facts and circumstances of the case, Lopez poses a danger to the community and that the maximum sentence under the law was appropriate,” Byers said. » wrote in response to a Sentinel investigation.

Originally published: October 15, 2024 at 7:23 a.m.

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