SANTA ANA, Calif. – A drunken driver was convicted today of murdering a mother of three after driving into oncoming traffic and crashing head-on into her minivan in Mission Viejo.

Circumstances of the Case

• At approximately 11:40 p.m. on May 7, 2013, Carroll was driving a pickup truck while under the influence of alcohol in Mission Viejo.
• The defendant made a left turn from El Toro Road onto Santa Margarita Parkway and drove southbound in the northbound lanes.
• Carroll drove approximately one-third of a mile into oncoming traffic before slamming head-on into a minivan being driven by 36-year-old Ana Martinez.
• The victim was alone in the car and died as a result of the impact of the collision. She is survived by her husband and three children, then ages 2, 7, and 15.
• Carroll displayed objective signs of intoxication and had a blood alcohol content of .23 percent approximately two hours after the collision.
• The defendant turned himself in to law enforcement in New York after being charged and was transported back to Orange County on Feb. 2, 2014.
• Carroll had prior knowledge that he could be charged with murder if he killed a person while driving under the influence of alcohol based on a prior misdemeanor driving under the influence charge to which he pleaded guilty on Dec. 4, 2008 (Case #08HM08824).

The Orange County Sheriff's Department investigated this case.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Feldman, Homicide Unit

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 14HF0031 / November 13, 2017