Attorney General Hector Balderas

From the Office of the Attorney General:

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the guilty plea of Bernadette Etsitty for DWI-based vehicular homicide.

Etsitty will be sentenced by the district court at a later date. She faces up to 12 years in prison at initial sentencing.

“It is appalling that another promising young life has been senselessly lost to a drunk driver, and our State must continue to do a better job of preventing the devastating effects of drunk driving,” Attorney General Balderas said.

The evening of June 23, 2020, Etsitty drove drunk, swerving into oncoming traffic and crashing into a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Roxana Saenz. Saenz was killed instantly. Saenz had just graduated from Del Norte High School and was planning on attending the University of New Mexico to become a veterinarian.

Etsitty admitted drinking a 12-pack of beer and containers of alcohol were found in her truck. Her blood-alcohol results revealed an intoxication level at about twice the legal limit.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Police Department and co-prosecuted by attorneys from the Office of the Attorney General and the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Maria Madrid with the Office of the Attorney General provided victim-advocate services to Saenz’s family.