San Marcos DUI suspect pleads not guilty to manslaughter

A mother of four pleaded not guilty in connection with a suspected DUI accident that lead to the deaths of three people in early August.

33-year-old Debbie Sumi was charged with DUI and three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter when she lost control of her SUV on Highway 78 in the early morning hours of August 13, slamming into a car parked on the shoulder of the road. 

At the time, officers recorded Sumi’s BAC to be .34 percent, well-over the state’s legal limit of .08 percent. In fact, that level of BAC, if accurate, could have been high enough to render Sumi unconscious or even be fatal to her. A judge set Sumi’s bail at $5 million, saying she posed a serious danger to the community at large. 

The Nissan Altima carrying victims Susana Orozco, 23, and Erica Oliva, 23, was pulled over alongside the road because one of the ladies was feeling sick. They were standing outside of the vechile when Sumi’s SUV left the roadway and hit their car, killing them both at the scene. The Jeep then overturned, and Sumi’s passenger, 34-year-old Larry Alvarez, was also killed.

Alvarez was father to two of Sumi’s children, and they lived together with Sumi’s two children from a previous marriage in the Vista area of San Marcos, California. 

Sumi entered a not guilty plea in her initial hearing. The courtroom was full with victims’ families and friends, according to reports, resulting in a very emotional hearing. Sumi herself was severely injured in the accident, spending two weeks in the hospital and wearing a full body brace to the courtroom. 

Sumi will reappear in court in November. She is likely to remain in jail in lieu of the large bail until that time. Sumi faces 16 years in prison if convicted of the crimes.