Family Mourns Sisters; 'Basketball Was Their Life' (Another NM DWI tragedy)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | March 7, 2010 | Jessica Dyer And Karen Peterson

[CedarDave]

Ruiz was driving so fast that the girl's car was pushed into three other vehicles at the traffic light.

In May 2008 Ruiz was charged with DWI and pleaded not guilty. Court records show Ruiz has a previous DWI conviction in Bernalillo County and an open-container conviction in Sandoval County. In Friday's crash he was driving with a revoked or suspended license and has been charged with that offense also.

Despite progress in DWI legislation, these multiple offenders continue to drink and drive with horrendous consequences for other drivers. The only ones that come out ahead are the DWI defense lawyers who make money off of other peoples pain and suffering.

KOB-TV report: "Accident provokes outrage in communities."

[CedarDave]

PING! to the NM list.

(please let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)

[pandoraou812]

Prayers for the family & victims.

[freeangel]

This slime deserves the death penalty.

[Tennessee Nana]

Illegal alien ???

[CedarDave]

Repeal of the NM death penalty was signed into law by Bill Richardson one year ago this month.

[originalbuckeye]

Dems have no sympathy for the innocent. They ALWAYS have compassion for the criminal however.

[Allegra]

How horrible for this family. Prayers up for all.

[leapfrog0202]

What a tragedy. My heart just aches for that family.

I do not know when our state will learn. I think more than 1 DWI or DUI offense and it’s jail for a long time. I don’t know what else there is to do. This guy already lost his license. I guess they could force people like this guy to take that drug that makes you vomit if you drink ~ besides jail or that I don’t know if there’s another way to stop someone that continues to drink and drive...

[CedarDave]

Pictures of these young woman at the link.

http://www.koat.com/video/22769811/index.html

[freeangel]

And I guess it was to protect all those poor “immigrants” from meeting an end they deserve?

[leapfrog0202]

Thank you Dave. I’m glad the coach from the Santa Fe Indian School went to help the family. Those girls had a bright future ahead of them and thanks to Ruiz not getting help for his addiction and feeling it was okay to flaunt the law and drive without a license, that future has been cut short.

[leapfrog0202]

Death penalty should never have been repealed, but Richardson knew he was going to be shaking off the NM dust soon and he just did what he wanted.

Obviously though, the death penalty has never been used much in NM ~ if I recall correctly, at the time it was repealed, we only had 2 criminals on death row.

[csense]

Heartbreaking story...

[DemonDeac]

I remember reading that Hispanic drivers in my home state are something like 3.8 as likely as other drivers to get cited for driving drunk. I’m sure those stats extend nationwide.

[EEDUDE]

“I remember reading that Hispanic drivers in my home state are something like 3.8 as likely as other drivers to get cited for driving drunk.”

It’s a Macho Cultural thing with them. It’s that way down in Mexico itself and has been for a long time.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Sad. RIP.

[kcvl]

Santa Fe Police said a man with a history of reckless and drunk driving is to blame for a five vehicle pile-up that left two women dead.

Police said James Ruiz, 34, was driving the truck but he shouldn’t have been. Police charged Ruiz with driving on a revoked or suspended license. By Saturday morning police tacked on two counts of vehicular homicide.

Ruiz is in custody, charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of driving while his license was suspended or revoked. According to online court records, Ruiz has multiple DWI offenses and spent 60 days in a rehabilitation program in California in 2008. Jury selection was set to begin Wednesday in a 2008 drunken-driving case.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I think the mahcho thing, but also just as American indian’s seem to have a real problem with alcohol if they drink, Hispanics seem to have the same problem and most of them have Indian blood... I don’t excuse this, have no use for anyone who drinks and drives much less over and over again, but I am intrigued about whether there is a gene that makes Indian’s predisposed to alcohol abuse.

[NTHockey]

The family should sue the state as an accessory to murder.