"Melrose Place" Star Charged in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash
Original “Melrose Place” actress Amy Locane was charged today with second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault stemming from an accident that took place last night. Locane allegedly hit another car, killing the female passenger inside. This was reportedly immediately following a minor hit-and-run. She faces five-to-ten years in prison if convicted.
California DUI law allows prosecutors to charge those who have suffered at least one prior DUI with second-degree murder if they allegedly kill another person while drunk driving. Much more severe than vehicular manslaughter, a DUI second-degree murder charge carries a prison sentence of 15-years-to-life.
The reason that California law allows DUI second-degree murder charges for those previously convicted of DUI is because DUI offenders in this state are advised at the time of conviction that driving drunk is dangerous to human life…and that if they continue to do so, they are driving with that special knowledge. That knowledge is equivalent to malice – a state of mind that expresses an “I don’t care what happens” attitude…a state of mind that is required before an individual can be convicted of murder.
Although there are no reports that Locane suffered any prior DUI convictions, it is important to understand how “priors” play into a DUI sentence that involves death.
