Man in Deadly Hit-Run Sentenced to 6 Years
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A man who confessed to a hit-and-run accident that killed the mother of six children and injured a good Samaritan in Burbank was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.
Rafael Claro-Miranda, 35, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz imposed the sentence, which was “appropriate in light of the charges.”
Schwartz rejected an earlier deal proposed by prosecutors that would have sent Claro-Miranda to prison for just two years--a deal denounced by victims and relatives.
Claro-Miranda faced a maximum sentence of 7 1/2 years, said Craig Mitchell, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case.
“I feel that Mr. Miranda is coming out of this better than any of his victims,” Mitchell said.
On May 16, Sharon McPherson’s car ran out of fuel in Burbank and a nearby resident, Agustin Luz, volunteered to help McPherson get gas. As the two were filling the car with gas, they were struck by Claro-Miranda’s brown Chevrolet Camaro, prosecutors charged.
McPherson was killed on impact in front of three of her six children. Luz was critically injured and remains in a wheelchair recovering from numerous surgeries for his injuries.
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