Plea Postponed Again in Deadly DUI Crash Case

For the third time since her arrest two weeks ago, Rebecca Sandoval appeared in Santa Maria Court charged with murder and other felony DUI-related charges stemming from a deadly rear-end collision on Highway 246 in front of the entrance to the Chumash Casino that killed retired Santa Ynez High School teacher Linda Wall.

Once again, Sandoval did not enter a plea to the charges against her and her arraignment was continued to February in Santa Maria Court.

Rebecca Sandoval’s defense attorney says his client is devastated by the tragedy and wants to personally apologize to the family of Linda Wall.

“She told the first officer she talked to that she wanted to apologize to them”, says Santa Barbara County Deputy Public Defender David Ogren, “we hope to work this to a resolution without putting the families through a trial and all of that.”

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office has filed a second degree murder charge against Rebecca Sandoval, who already had another DUI-related arrest last July, the D.A. alleging Sandoval showed a conscious disregard for human life by knowingly driving under the influence of an undisclosed drug when she slammed into the back of Linda Wall’s SUV on December 19.

The D.A. is citing Supreme Court precedent in filing the murder charge under the so-called “Watson Case” rule.

Rebecca Sandoval remains in Santa Barbara County Jail with her bail set at $1,130,000.