A jury on Friday convicted a woman of murder and other charges after she drove drunk and killed a teen and her mother’s boyfriend.
Tayishe Baltys, 46, was found to be responsible for the June 22, 2022, deaths of Jessica Talamante, 15, and Brian McKee, who were struck at around 10 p.m. on East Plaza Boulevard in National City while walking home after stopping at a 7-Eleven.
Talamante died at the scene, while McKee was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Talamante’s sister was also walking home with the victims and narrowly avoided being struck by Baltys, according to prosecutors.
She was charged with murder due to having a prior DUI conviction. She pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to probation in 2020.
She faces 30 years to life in state prison in the South Bay case. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22.
Deputy District Attorney Mary Loeb told jurors that prior to the crash, Baltys spent around three hours drinking with co-workers at a Dave & Buster’s restaurant in Mission Valley.
After striking the victims, she repeatedly denied that she had been drinking, though Loeb said she had a blood-alcohol content of about .16%, two times the legal driving limit in California.
Baltys took the stand during the trial and admitted drinking before getting behind the wheel and lying to officers, but denied feeling affected by the alcohol or that it rendered her too intoxicated to drive.
Her defense attorneys argued that her drinking was not a major factor in the fatalities.
One of her attorneys, Colby Ryan, told jurors the crash was unavoidable due to “pitch black” conditions that even a sober driver would not have been able to manage. He also said the victims crossed the road outside of the crosswalk and were wearing dark clothing.
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