Left: Stanley Isaacs (GoFundMe). Inset: The intersection in Laguna Beach, California, where Isaacs was killed by a hit-and-run driver (Google Maps).
A 22-year-old California woman mowed down a man who was crossing the street after he finished dinner with his wife on their anniversary, killing him and injuring his wife.
Sysillia Kianna Morrison Montes De Oca was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run with serious injury and failing to stop at a hit-and-run in the death of 60-year-old Stanley Isaacs.
Montes De Oca was just 18 years old when she was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Jetta shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2022, in Laguna Beach. Meanwhile, Isaacs and his wife had just wrapped up their anniversary at a nearby restaurant. They were crossing the street when Montes De Oca slammed into them.
Isaacs was later pronounced dead. His wife suffered injuries but survived. Montes De Oca kept driving.
According to a courtroom report from the Orange County Register, Isaacs suffered an internal decapitation, skull fracture, snapped spine and "smashed ribs."
After fleeing the crash, Montes De Oca reportedly searched for news stories about fatal hit-and-run crashes and even returned to the scene, though she did not turn herself in. She also reportedly smoked marijuana earlier in the day and told the other people in the car that she was speeding up moments before the crash.
"It was not an ordinary mistake," Deputy District Attorney Justin Kim told jurors, per the Register.
Montes De Oca had her friend hide the car, but she turned herself in to police about two weeks later.
Her defense attorney at closing arguments reportedly argued his client panicked after the crash and left at the urging of her friends. He noted that she did eventually turn herself in and it was never clear exactly how fast she was going.
Isaacs' stepdaughter described him in a GoFundMe as a "loving father, grandfather, brother, son and husband."
"My step dad was one of a kind, when he walked into any room you couldn't miss his gracious smile. He never failed to bring joy to the people in his lives. He is loved by so many people, he was unforgettable," she wrote.
Montes De Oca is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13.