Julia Vega, a 73-year-old Florida woman, received a plea deal avoiding prison after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of her 69-year-old friend Elsa Pintor. The incident occurred on December 31, 2024, when Vega drove her SUV into a lake in Hialeah Gardens after accelerating through a fence.
Incident Details
Vega was intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of 0.148—nearly twice the legal limit—and had Xanax in her system. She escaped the submerged vehicle, but Pintor drowned despite rescue efforts and a faint pulse upon hospital arrival. Body camera footage captured Vega slurring words, stumbling, and denying intoxication, saying she “only had wine at Cooper’s Hawk” while asking if her friend died.
Plea Outcome
She was sentenced to 10 years’ probation with a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, 200 hours of community service, and permanent driver’s license revocation. Her attorney cited Vega’s deep remorse as influencing prosecutors’ decision that prison wouldn’t serve the public interest.
