Woman Faces 10 Years in Prison for Fatal DUI Crash

By Marianne Madden

Published on January 05, 2007

During the incident, Villanueva’s van careened into a crowd of pedestrians, killing Anita Martinez, 43. Five other people were injured: 35-year-old Armando Avila; his 34-year-old wife, Maria Guadalupe Rojas; their two children, Maria, 7, and Armando Jr., 11; and their 12-year-old family friend, Robert Millikan. The accident occurred at David Drive in Belvidere.

Villanueva had drugs in her system at the time of the fatal crash. Her husband, Eddie Villaneuva, previously stated in court that he told police his wife was a heroin addict and that she disappeared for long stretches at a time. Kristy, however, claimed that at the time of the fatal accident, she had been free from drugs for five years.

Villanueva remains in Boone County Jail. After a stipulated bench trial this week, Judge Gerald Grubb found her guilty on five counts of aggravated driving under the influence. The judge entered judgments of conviction on those five counts.

Carie Poirier, an assistant Boone County public defender, says Villanueva plans to make a statement at her sentencing.

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