An Iraq war veteran who took off after fatally striking a woman in the middle of the night on Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation and fined $1,000 after a judge reduced his felony conviction to a misdemeanor.
Sandro Garcia, 33, pleaded guilty in November to a felony charge of hit-and-run causing death.
Defense attorney Justin Murphy told Judge Timothy Walsh that Garcia was an outstanding citizen who failed to stop after hitting 51-year-old Sara Basile also known as Patricia McNally just after midnight last June 19.
“He wasn’t sure what he hit,” Murphy said, adding that Garcia drove to his aunt’s home nearby after the accident.