Woodland man whose epileptic seizure caused fatal crash denied parole

(FOX40.COM) — A Woodland man who killed an 85-year-old woman in a 2014 car crash was denied parole at his first hearing. Armando Gonzalez, 51, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 18 years and eight months to life in prison in 2015. He was up for parole Wednesday, but a panel of the Board of Parole Hearings denied parole. Gonzalez was arrested after a car crash on Feb. 1, 2014. That day, after suffering two epileptic seizures while at work in Davis, and left work early. Just after 2 p.m., he had another seizure and fell asleep at the wheel before striking the vehicle of 85-year-old Darlene Ruth Morales. The victim was trapped in the car for almost 20 minutes, prosecutors said, and she died from internal bleeding and blunt force trauma at UC Davis Hospital in Sacramento. According to the Yolo County District Attorney's office, Gonzalez had caused four previous collisions due to his epilepsy: in 2002, 2004, 2010 and 2011. Prosecutors said he lied to DMV officials about the history and frequency of his seizures and was still able to obtain a driver's license. On Wednesday, Board of Parole Hearings Commissioner Excel Sharrieff said Gonzalez continued to minimize his conduct by blaming others, the Yolo County D.A.'s office said. The board said Gonzalez needs to work on victim impact and denial management. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the parole board made the right decision. "This is a tragic case on so many levels. But what Mr. Gonzalez did on that day, and many other occasions, is play Russian Roulette with a vehicle," he said in a statement. "He may be an appropriate candidate for parole one day, but until then we will advocate to protect the public and honor the life of Darlene Ruth Morales." Gonzalez will be eligible for parole again in three years.