A 37-year-old woman was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder in a crash that killed two people in Garden Grove this week.
Britney Marie Perez was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the fatal crash that killed two men in their 40s about 4:35 p.m. Monday on Magnolia Avenue south of the Garden Grove (22) Freeway.
The crash involved four vehicles, police said. The two victims, whose names have not yet been released, were trapped in a small compact car on northbound Magnolia, police said. According to the criminal complaint, the victims were identified as Jose J and Augustine J.
Orange County Fire Authority paramedics pronounced the two victims dead at the scene, police said.
Perez was behind the wheel of a vehicle that was on the eastbound lanes of the freeway at Magnolia Street before passing through an intersection and failing to complete a turn as she crashed into three other cars, police said.
Perez has a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol on Feb. 10, 2017, according to court records. Manslaughter charges in fatal collisions can be upgraded to murder if a defendant has been previously convicted of a DUI and has gotten a warning from court officials about the potential for enhanced charges.
Perez did not enter a plea when she appeared in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana on Wednesday. Her arraignment was rescheduled for Nov. 17 in the West Justice Center in Westminster.
Police officials said a news release will be issued Thursday with further details.