A woman who drove under the influence last summer in a Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood, killing a jogger, has changed her plea to guilty.
Santee resident Evelin J. Nuñez, now 21, was facing six criminal charges in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Aug. 25, 2019, along Black Mountain Road. The hit-and-run took the life of Nang Arm, 37, who had been walking or jogging in the area when Nuñez hit her.
Back in August, Nuñez pleaded not guilty to all six charges, which included DUI, hit-and-run and gross vehicular manslaughter.
On Wednesday, nearly five months after the deadly crash, she changed her plea, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office confirmed.
Nuñez pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. As part of the plea agreement, the hit-and-run charge and another charge were dropped, the DA's office said.
Nuñez's sentencing is set for Feb. 24. The DA's office said Nuñez will be sentenced to nine years in prison. The maximum exposure on the case was 15 years behind bars, but a judge decided on a 9-year sentence instead.
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The Hit-and-Run That Killed Nang Arm
On Aug. 25, 2019, at around 7 a.m., Nang Arm was out on her morning walk or jog along Black Mountain Road.
Nuñez was driving a Nissan Sentra in the area. Suddenly, she hit Arm.
Police said Nuñez also plowed through a fence and damaged a water line. She swerved back onto the street and left the scene.
Several passersby witnessed the hit-and-run and tried to help Arm. She was rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla but, right away, her prognosis was grave.
One day later, Arm died in the hospital.
Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans said Nuñez's blood-alcohol level at the scene of the crash was over the legal limit. She was only 20 years old at the time of the hit-and-run.
Following her August arraignment, Nuñez's father told Telemundo 20 that his daughter was a hard-working college student who had two jobs. He said the hit-and-run was an accident.
On behalf of his daughter, the father told Telemundo 20 he was very sorry for the Arm's family, from the bottom of his heart.
Nuñez was booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in San Diego's East County on Aug. 25. Her bail was set at $1 million.
Rancho Peñasquitos residents told NBC 7 Black Mountain Road is notorious for speeding drivers and sometimes cars "come flying around the corner."
