54-year-old David Alvarado was arraigned in a downtown Fresno court on Thursday.
The California Highway Patrol says he was driving drunk in May when his pickup truck ran into two other cars sitting at a stoplight on Highway 41 and Manning Avenue.
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The crash killed 65-year-old Mary Hardin that evening.
Her husband, 69-year-old Paul Hardin, was hospitalized in critical condition before being taken off of life support days later.
Alvarado is facing murder charges as a result of the crash.
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He also has six previous DUI's on his record, dating back to 1997.
He's due back in court on August 8.