DUI driver pleads guilty to murder after wrong-way crash kills woman on 101 Freeway
A California woman pleaded guilty to murder for a wrong-way DUI crash that left one person dead and another hospitalized on the 101 Freeway. The deadly crash occurred on Sept. 8, 2024, as Kendra Cordova, 34, of Santa Maria, was driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway just north of Los Alamos around 5:13 a.m. About 10 minutes later, California Highway Patrol officers spotted Cordova’s Mazda SUV just north of Clark Avenue in Orcutt, KSBY News reported. As she continued driving, she crashed into a Chevrolet Silverado truck just north of Santa Maria Way. Inside the truck were two people — a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman. The woman, Alma Alcorta Lazaro, 53, of Santa Maria, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband was taken to the hospital with major injuries. The suspect driver, Cordova, was also transported with major injuries, before she was later and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, CHP said. On June 22, 2026, Cordova pleaded guilty to one felony count of murder, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced. "While nothing can undo the tragic loss suffered by Alma Alcorta Lazaro's loved ones, we hope this conviction provides a measure of accountability and closure,” said District Attorney John Savrnoch. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4. Cordova faces 15 years to life in prison. She will remain in custody without bail pending her sentencing.
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