A man accused of driving drunk and fatally striking a female pedestrian in a crosswalk in Pacific Beach February 7 had five prior DUI convictions, according to prosecutors.
After his arraignment Wednesday, the mother of the woman killed in the accident spoke outside the courthouse demanding justice for her daughter.
Emily Dowdy, 24, was walking west on Mission Boulevard at Reed Avenue Saturday night when a man driving a pickup truck hit her. She died 24 hours after the accident.
Alan Mabrey, 45, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run.
Mabrey had moved to San Diego just a couple of days before the deadly crash, prosecutors said. Mabrey's five DUI convictions happened in the 1990's in Texas.
After the arraignment, the victim's mother said she can't believe the man who allegedly killed her daughter, has a long history of driving drunk.
"Five times! Two felony DUI's? Five years in prison? Do you know how totally reprehensible that is? How filthy and immoral that is," Ellie Dowdy said.
Police said Mabrey had several pitchers of beer, before he got behind the wheel of his friend's truck. Investigators said they also found eight empty beer cans inside that truck. When Emily was hit, a friend who was in the vehicle stayed to help her, but Mabrey allegedly ran from the scene to a fast food restaurant.
"Backed his truck up, got out, went to Burger King for a hamburger, showed no concern for my daughter, showed no concern for my daughter, left her lying in the gutter with her brain shattered," Dowdy said.
Witnesses gave detailed descriptions of the suspected driver and also described an occupant of the vehicle emptying alcohol containers outside the truck immediately after the accident, police said. Mabrey later returned to the scene, where he was arrested.
Friends honored Dowd's memory at a memorial in Pacific Beach on Tuesday. "She was the best person I've ever met, probably the best person I'm ever going to meet," said Kelsey Jolley. "She was just special, that's the word to describe Emily: very, very, very special."
A man accused of driving drunk and fatally striking a female pedestrian in a crosswalk in
Pacific Beach had five prior DUI convictions, according to prosecutors.
Emily Dowdy, 25, was walking west on Mission Boulevard at Reed Avenue Saturday night when a man driving a pickup truck hit her. She died 24 hours after the accident.
Alan Mabrey, 45, was charged with second-degree murder, felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run at an arraignment Wednesday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty.
Mabrey moved to San Diego just a couple of days before the deadly crash, prosecutors said. Mabrey's five DUI convictions happened in the 1990's in Texas.
After the arraignment, the victim's mother said she can't believe the man who allegedly killed her daughter, has a long history of driving drunk.
"Five times! Two felony duis? Five years in prison? Do you know how totally reprehensible that is? How filthy and immoral that is," Ellie Dowdy said.
Police said Mabrey had several pitchers of beer, before he got behind the wheel of his friend's truck. Investigators said they also found eight empty beer cans inside that truck. When Emily was hit, a friend who was in the vehicle stayed to help her, but Mabrey allegedly ran from the scene to a fast food restaurant.
"Backed his truck up, got out, went to Burger King for a hamburger, showed no concern for my daughter, showed no concern for my daughter, left her lying in the gutter with her brain shattered," Dowdy said.
Witnesses gave detailed descriptions of the suspected driver and also described an occupant of the vehicle emptying alcohol containers outside the truck immediately after the accident, police said. Mabrey later returned to the scene, where he was arrested.
Friends honored Dowd's memory at a memorial in Pacific Beach on Tuesday.
"She was the best person I've ever met, probably the best person I'm ever going to meet," said Kelsey Jolley.
"She was just special, that's the word to describe Emily: very, very, very special," Jolley said.
