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Judge Finds Driver Guilty in Tijuana Crash; Prosecutors Seek 22½-Year Term and MXN 1.16 Million in Damages

The court must decide whether funeral and therapy bills can be included in the reparations prosecutors have requested.

Overview

  • A local judge ruled the driver, Nailea Salas Fernández, guilty of driving while intoxicated and causing the deaths of two adults and serious injuries to three minors.
  • The state prosecutor has asked for a prison term of 22 years and six months, a fine of MXN 147,254 and MXN 1,156,849 in compensatory payments based on invoices, hospital bills and funeral costs.
  • Defense attorneys have asked the judge to exclude funeral expenses and psychological-therapy costs for the injured children from the damages calculation.
  • Salas has been free since a 2022 annulment of her pretrial detention, and family members have publicly protested what they say are gaps in accountability and full reparations.
  • The case is now in the individualización de pena sentencing phase, where the judge will set the final punishment and order any reparations, a ruling that will affect the victims’ financial recovery and public trust in the local justice process.