Sentencing delayed for drunk driver who killed Chowchilla teen

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- There was an emotional outburst at the Madera County courthouse Tuesday morning as a defense attorney asked the judge for more time.

"We're talking about a young man's life here," defense attorney Mark Coleman told a judge.

"My daughter's dead. ... This is crazy," Jaycee Willet's mother interjected in the courtroom.

Jaycee was just 15 years old when she lost her life at a Chowchilla intersection back in 2019.

She was riding in the backseat of a car with four of her friends.

That is when Marcos Miguel Torres ran a stop sign and hit the car, killing Jaycee.

Police say the then-24-year-old was driving under the influence of alcohol, and the Madera County District Attorney's Office charged him with murder.

But a jury disagreed and found the Torres guilty of manslaughter and DUI.

The case has been winding its way through the court system for four years. After two previous delays with Torres' sentencing, the end seemed to be in sight for Jaycee's family on Tuesday.

But then, there was a last-minute setback.

"So, you are requesting to continue this matter?" Judge Katherine Rigby asked Coleman. "I am, your honor," he said.

At issue is a sentencing document the district attorney's office filed with the court that could impact Torres' sentence.

Judge Rigby said the court received its copy on December 28, but Coleman says he never got it.

"The issue is whether or not the court can impose an aggravated term," he told Action News. "It's a difference between a possibility of (a) maximum of eight years (and) four months and 11 years. So it's a significant difference."

He said the implications were so significant that he would have used a different strategy during the trial.

While Judge Rigby offered Coleman a few moments to review the document, Coleman said he needed more time and wanted to return later this month.

The judge agreed and ordered Torres back on January 23.

Now, he remains out of custody for two more weeks before possibly spending years behind bars.

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