Driver who killed 6-year-old girl convicted of murder

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A driver who struck and killed a 6-year-old girl as she played on a Southern California sidewalk was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder.

Maximino Delgado Lagunas, 56, of Anaheim, had a blood alcohol level that was more than three times the legal limit when his car went out of control on a Fullerton street on February 17, 2018, prosecutors said.

The 1990 Toyota 4Runner drove up onto a sidewalk, hitting Grace Aguilar, and then ran into a parked car, authorities said.

Toxicology results revealed Lagunas was driving with a blood alcohol level of .22%, more than three times California’s legal limit of .08%, the Orange County district attorney’s office said.

Lagunas was charged with second-degree murder because he had a 2015 conviction for driving under the influence. He was advised at the time that he could face murder charges if he killed someone while driving drunk, prosecutors said.

Lagunas could face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in September.