A Jacks Valley man was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for driving under the influence of beer and marijuana when he killed a Gardnerville woman in a head-on collision days before Christmas.
Michael Cordero Perez, 33, must serve a minimum of four years before he is eligible for parole in the Dec. 20 death of Robin Moroney, 42, on Jacks Valley Road.
"I'm sorry for the pain and suffering I caused you," Perez said, as he turned to face Moroney's mother and friends. "I was late, I had been drinking and I was driving. I take full responsibility for what I have done."
Perez's lawyer, Tod Young, said his client is deeply remorseful, even going so far as to dedicate a star to Moroney.
"He wanted to do something to help perpetuate her because he had taken her away," Young said. "He wanted to do something that kept her forever."
Prior to the sentencing, the young son of Perez's girlfriend gave a handful of tissues to the victim's mother. Members of both families wept throughout the 45-minute proceedings.
Moroney's mother, Beverly Eichman of Gardnerville, brought framed photos of her daughter.
"I kind of wanted everyone to know that she was a person, not just information on a piece of paper," Eichman said.
She said she received a sympathy card from Perez, but longed to hear him accept responsibility for the accident.
"I got angry when he was unable to say, 'My God. What a stupid thing to do,'" Eichman said.
Eichman, a widow, lost her other two children to Fanconi anemia, a blood disease that leads to bone marrow failure.
Moroney also had the disorder, but was living a healthy life.
"She was the oldest woman alive with this illness," Eichman said. "She had a long life to enjoy before she was snuffed out."
In statements, Perez said there was ice on the roadway, it was raining, or he had to swerve to avoid a vehicle stopped in the road.
But the Nevada Highway Patrol reported the temperature was 57 degrees at the time of the 5:19 p.m. accident, and the road was dry with no rain.
Witnesses who saw the accident disputed his claim of another vehicle. Two drivers said Perez crossed over into their lanes.
One woman said she narrowly avoided the Perez vehicle and saw the collision in her rearview mirror.
According to reports, Perez drank between three to five, 16-ounce beers two hours before the accident and had marijuana in his system.
District Judge Dave Gamble said that despite the sentencing, the tragedy continues for the Moroney and Perez families.
"I can't sit down with the victim's family and Mr. Perez's family to figure out the extent of Mr. Perez's remorse. I have to depend on the experience of the Parole and Probation department when it comes to the conclusion that his remorse is real.
"I am pretty astonished that with all the months you've had to think about this, I had to drag it out of you," Gamble said to Perez.