Woman pleads to vehicular manslaughter
Incident killed Katie Snyder Evans, a Saugus mom of six
A Canyon Country woman charged with murder for allegedly killing a Saugus mother of six in an October DUI crash pleaded no contest Monday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Alexia Alilah Cina, 21, appeared Monday in San Fernando Superior Court to schedule her preliminary hearing — just as she had done in January, March and April — but ended up entering a plea instead.
“While in Department H this morning, she pleaded no contest to count two, a violation of Penal
Code 191.5(a), gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated,” said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
“She also gave a Harvey waiver, which means she will pay restitution in the counts she did not admit,” he said.
Cina is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6. The defendant faces a possible sentence of 10 years in state prison.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present evidence in the case, and the defense can respond, after which the judge will decide if the case should go to trial.
Cina was initially charged with one felony count each of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury and driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol content causing injury.
Prosecutors alleged Cina inflicted great bodily injury upon the woman killed in the crash, Katie Snyder Evans.
On Oct. 6, Cina was allegedly driving southbound on Golden Valley Road at a high rate of speed when she hit the center median and crashed into Evans’ vehicle on the northbound side of the road, prosecutors said.