Norman Martin Of Irvine Convicted Of Murder In Drunken 2017 Corvette Crash That Killed 2 Women
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A 26-year-old Irvine man has been convicted of second-degree murder for the deaths of two women in a 2017 drunk driving crash in Irvine.
Norman Martin was convicted Wednesday in the deaths of Jamie Lopez and Nancy Ortiz, who were both just 26 years old when they died in the July 22, 2017 crash.
Prosecutors say Ortiz and Lopez agreed to take an Uber with Martin, who diverted the ride to his home so he could pick up his Corvette and drive the two women to his friend's home. With Ortiz and Lopez in his two-seat Corvette, Martin was determined to be driving 138 miles per hour when he ran a red light at Jamboree and Main Street in Irvine and lost control of the sports car.
The Corvette went airborne and hit several objects, including three palm trees. Martin and the two women were ejected from the vehicle. Lopez and Ortiz were pronounced dead at the scene, while Martin was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries.
Martin was found to have a blood alcohol content of .11 at the time of the crash. He was arrested by Irvine police on Dec. 11, 2018.
"The two people who lost their lives in this crash are not numbers. They are not statistics," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "These are real human beings who had their lives and the lives of their loved ones shattered because of the selfish decision of someone to get behind the wheel while intoxicated."
Martin faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life when he is sentenced on Sept. 3.
