Aptos woman sentenced to prison for vehicular manslaughter

An Aptos woman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the death of Kathryn Stokes in December of 2017.

Julissa Guzman was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Guzman had reportedly been drinking all day, and her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit while driving westbound on Soquel Drive towards her house in Aptos.

86-year-old Stokes was crossing the roadway near the intersection of Rosedale Avenue when Guzman hit and killed her.

The CHP and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Guzman did not stop, but dropped her passengers off and went home.

Guzman was later found and arrested.

She already had two alcohol-related driving offenses from 2017 and was still on probation for one of them.