fontman
07-22-06, 08:23 AM
Guilty plea in Marines' crash deaths
The Record
Published Saturday, Jul 22, 2006
VISTA - A San Diego man who killed two Marines from San Joaquin County in an alcohol-related wreck near Camp Pendleton last year pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence.
Justin Travnicek, 21, of Lodi and Douglas Hunter, 22, of Stockton died Dec. 3 on Interstate 5 in Encinitas after their stalled Volvo was shattered after being struck by a vehicle driven by Jason Carl Gollmer, 25.
Gollmer had a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 percent - nearly three times the legal limit - and was driving at least 100 mph when he struck the Marines' car at around 3 a.m., according to prosecutor Natalie Villaflor.
Villaflor said Friday that Gollmer pleaded guilty without any deal from prosecutors. The sentence could range from probation to 12 years in state prison, but San Diego Superior Court Judge Joan Weber said Friday she would not impose the harshest sentence, the prosecutor said.
Sentencing is Sept. 11, the date the trial was scheduled to begin.
"She's not going to give him the maximum due to the fact he's gainfully employed and has no criminal history," Villaflor said. "The sentencing is in the judge's hands."
Travnicek and Hunter's relatives are expected to make statements at the sentencing hearing, Villaflor said. Relatives could not be reached for comment Friday.
Travnicek and Hunter met at Delta College's Middle College High School and enlisted in the Marines together. Travnicek had recently returned from an eight-month tour in Iraq, where he worked as a helicopter mechanic. He shared an apartment with Hunter, a newlywed, near the Marine base at Camp Pendleton. The friends were buried next to each other at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi.
The Record
Published Saturday, Jul 22, 2006
VISTA - A San Diego man who killed two Marines from San Joaquin County in an alcohol-related wreck near Camp Pendleton last year pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence.
Justin Travnicek, 21, of Lodi and Douglas Hunter, 22, of Stockton died Dec. 3 on Interstate 5 in Encinitas after their stalled Volvo was shattered after being struck by a vehicle driven by Jason Carl Gollmer, 25.
Gollmer had a blood-alcohol level of 0.21 percent - nearly three times the legal limit - and was driving at least 100 mph when he struck the Marines' car at around 3 a.m., according to prosecutor Natalie Villaflor.
Villaflor said Friday that Gollmer pleaded guilty without any deal from prosecutors. The sentence could range from probation to 12 years in state prison, but San Diego Superior Court Judge Joan Weber said Friday she would not impose the harshest sentence, the prosecutor said.
Sentencing is Sept. 11, the date the trial was scheduled to begin.
"She's not going to give him the maximum due to the fact he's gainfully employed and has no criminal history," Villaflor said. "The sentencing is in the judge's hands."
Travnicek and Hunter's relatives are expected to make statements at the sentencing hearing, Villaflor said. Relatives could not be reached for comment Friday.
Travnicek and Hunter met at Delta College's Middle College High School and enlisted in the Marines together. Travnicek had recently returned from an eight-month tour in Iraq, where he worked as a helicopter mechanic. He shared an apartment with Hunter, a newlywed, near the Marine base at Camp Pendleton. The friends were buried next to each other at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi.