Memorial Held For Hit-and-Run Victim
Yellow balloons, roses and ribbons stood out at the memorial for Mallory Rae Dies.
Dies, 27, was fatally injured by a suspected drunk driver in a hit-and-run accident Dec. 6.
Five days later, she was taken off life support. Her organs were donated to save other lives.
Dies’ boyfriend Landon Wurst said the family received a warm thank you letter from a 27-year-old father of two who received her liver.
Wurst said it helps to hear things like that.
He said Mallory would have loved the memorial overlooking the ocean.
He said she had compassion for humanity and could bring a smile to anyone she came into contact with.
Mallory’s father said she got her fearlessness from her two brothers. He said the friends she made in Santa Barbara were like extended family.
A former roommate said when a bartender gets killed by someone who has had too much to drink, it sends a message not to drink and drive. He asked people in the crowd to raise their hands if they knew someone who did and he asked them to tell them or text them and tell them not to do it again.
The only suspect in the case is an Iraq War vet and ex-congressional aide with two prior DUI convictions in Ventura County.
Raymond Morua, 32, will face a second-degree murder charge when he appears in court Wednesday.