SAN DIEGO — A man who was sentenced to nearly a decade in state prison for crashing a pickup truck over the side of a transition ramp to the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, killing four people and injuring several others when it landed in Chicano Park, is slated for early release, drawing strong opposition from the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
The DA's Office said it was recently notified that Richard Anthony Sepolio, 27, will be released on Friday after serving two years and 10 months of his nine-year, eight-month prison sentence.
Sepolio was convicted by a jury of four counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of DUI causing injury. Prosecutors say he drank prior to getting behind the wheel -- but was found to be below the legal blood alcohol limit -- was speeding and attempted to cut off another driver when his truck careened off the bridge and landed in the park below.
The Oct. 15, 2016, crash killed Annamarie Contreras, 50, and Cruz Contreras, 52, a married couple from Chandler, Arizona; and Hacienda Heights residents Andre Banks, 49, and Francine Jimenez, 46. Seven other people were seriously injured.
"This adds insult to injury that is already there," said Pablo Trevino, friends of the victims. "The court system, the judicial system failed us miserably."
The victims along with a thousand others were attending the motorcycle rally at Chicano Park in October 2016.
"What is the value of the lives? He killed four people. He injured dozens of others and hundreds are traumatized. To this day how many years later we still have people that are emotionally wrecked by what happened," said Trevino.
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The DA's Office said the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation "surprised" victims and prosecutors on Monday with the notification that Sepolio would be released.
"We really believe this is a miscarriage of justice," said Summer Stephan, San Diego County District Attorney.
The CDCR cited "various prison credits for good behavior as well as its policy of releasing inmates early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no specific reasons cited related to this defendant," according to the DA's Office.
"This very early release is unconscionable," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said. "CDCR's decision is re-victimizing the family and friends of the four people killed and seven injured who have been devastated by their loss and continue to deal with the financial, emotional, mental and physical trauma caused by the defendant. This inmate continues to deny and minimize the crime by refusing to admit he was speeding and denying being impaired while arguing with his girlfriend on the phone, which resulted in the devastating crash."
Due to credit for time served, Sepolio has served more than two and half years and with good behavior he would have been eligible for release after serving half of sentence, which is two years from now but that was before COVID-19.
"There is no reason they can't stop it. He is not entitled under the law. This is just a freebie a get out of jail card. There is no legal reason he should be released early," said Stephan.
At trial, Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright told jurors Sepolio chose "to drive irritated, impaired and impatient." In addition to having drinks prior to getting behind the wheel, Sepolio was arguing with his girlfriend on the phone just moments before losing control of his truck on the bridge, the prosecutor said.
Sepolio testified he was driving on the transition ramp -- a route back to Coronado that he had driven more than 90 times before -- when he sped up to merge in front of another car and lost control. Prosecutors said he was driving between 81 and 87 mph when the crash occurred.
Stephan says since COVID-19 there have been 800 San Diego County inmates released early from prison. She has created an emergency team to respond to the quick notices.
Sepolio's May 2, 2019 sentencing can be watched below.
