Drugged driver punished for killing beloved Fresno grandmother

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno woman who got high on meth, got in a police chase, ran a red light, and killed a grandmother did not catch a break Tuesday.

Painful pleadings from the victim's family came before a judge sent the defendant to prison.

Debbie Criado spent her last night with her family, celebrating her brother's first visit in years.

Because of Ruby Garcia, the February 2019 reunion ended with Criado's final goodbye.

"Last I remembered, she smiled and she told me 'I'll be right back,'" said Criado's granddaughter, Sierra L. "I never saw her again."

Garcia was high on meth and running from the police when she ran a pair of red lights.

She T-boned a car, killing the 55-year-old Criado.

"My grandma's gone," Sierra said. "She was my best friend. She was so young when she died."

Criado's brother has some brain damage because of the collision. Her daughter suffered paralysis to half her face. Her then-5-year-old grandson, Isaiah, broke his back.

He's now living with the memory of what happened and memories stolen from his future.

"Life without my grandma is hard," said Isaiah Estrada. "I can't laugh with her any more or do crafts or lay into bed and talk. We were working on a rug together that I can never finish now."

Criado's son said he can't forgive Ruby Garcia right now, but his mother would.

Garcia asked the family for the forgiveness their mother would grant, despite acknowledging what she did was unforgivable.

Now 30 years old, she cried as she listened to family members describe the damage she caused in their lives and offered an apology.

"I'd like to apologize for the pain, the grief, the loss that I have caused you," Garcia said. "I will not let the loss be in vain."

The judge told Garcia she needs to pay for what she did, which caused carnage on the streets and devastation for a family.

He sentenced her to the maximum 12 years allowed under her plea deal.