My letter to the Riverside County District Attorney:

I wanted to reach out and see what we are doing about the ongoing DUI problem in our state & specifically our area.

My uncle, George Mouratidis, was one of the people killed by a drunk driver on the 2019 Memorial Day weekend…one of 34 deaths and 1099 DUI arrests that weekend it seems.
(https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/34-killed-1099-arrested-for-dui-in-california-through-start-of-monday-memorial-day-weekend/103-39d6bf21-6b7d-4d43-83b2-4093a3a05566)

A great family man…of all the people in the world I knew, was the least deserving of such a tragic, and abrupt, end. He leaves behind his two children and my mother to now fight a custody battle with their biological mother over the children she and my uncle were raising. We haven’t even the proper chance to grieve because of this Family Law mess, and wouldn’t even be in this life changing situation had it not been for a drunk driver that day. What can we expect to see served as justice to a person that has ruined the lives of multiple people…forever?

5/26/19 (Accident happened around 4:10AM Sunday Morning)

https://www.pe.com/2019/05/27/driver-arrested-after-suspected-dui-crash-on-15-freeway-in-corona-kills-a-lake-elsinore-man/ -> My uncle worked 3 jobs on his way home from his last delivery that night.

http://jimspub.riversidesheriff.org/cgi-bin/iisinfo.acu?bkno=201919322G -> Drunk driver bailed out same day…with a court appearance 7/25 ?! Must be nice to walk free while my uncle is dead, and we’re dealing with an emotional and legal nightmare.

The statistics are scary, and many people are getting killed by careless DUI drivers. We punish other crimes more severely it seems…I don’t understand how people can get off with as little as 4 years when they clearly must be aware of the risks of drunk/drugged driving. There are multiple ride-share services, cabs, motel/hotel, sleeping in car, and so many other options (stay home and get smashed perhaps?). In 2019 – it’s simply a person’s clear choice to endanger their lives and of others. The justice served to these DUI criminals is unequal. I won’t list all of them…but here are a few recent ones that stuck out.

This person gets only 4 years? What about the lifetime sentence they give to the families of the person(s) they kill/injure?

https://www.pe.com/2018/09/21/x-4/ -> It’s called “DUI Gross negligent manslaughter here”. What makes it “gross negligence” vs “murder”? This lady was more innocent than the guy on meth from June 4th? Previous convictions appear to be required to try for DUI Murder…do we really want to WAIT and see these DUI killers end more innocent lives? I have read the legal definitions to be certain, but it seems the penalties these killers are getting away with are way too light.

Even more disturbing is that these people can bail out the same day! Who knows…go home and get drunk/high some more and drive because they are facing legal problems now..If they blew a .08 or above, it would seem like enough evidence to hold them until their trial at least. I can appreciate the “innocent until proven guilty”, but what part of a scientific test to determine BAC results can be disputed? Clearly they were intoxicated at, or above, the legal limit.

5/13/19:
https://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/woman-struck-truck-91-freeway-corona -> Hit and Run DUI killer
http://jimspub.riversidesheriff.org/cgi-bin/iisinfo.acu?bkno=201917623G -> gets out on bail same day.

5/25/19:
https://riversidecountynewssource.org/2019/05/26/speeding-dui-possible-factors-in-fatal-menifee-crash/ -> Killed Frank Dominguez the day before another drunk killed my uncle the following day.

6/3/19:
https://ktla.com/2019/06/03/15-year-old-girl-killed-in-head-on-suspected-dui-crash-in-temecula-19-year-old-driver-arrested-chp/ -> Killed 15 year old girl bails out in under 24-hours:
http://jimspub.riversidesheriff.org/cgi-bin/iisinfo.acu?bkno=201920268G

6/4/19:
This guy gets lots of news coverage and they want to charge him for Murder though…(as they ALL should be). He killed one person and injured others. Why does his killing of a person while DUI get these charges vs others see lesser sentences because their cases aren’t on the televised news?
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Riverside-County-Temecula-DUI-15-Freeway-Crash-510923311.html

All of the above examples resulted in the death of 1 person. I hope we can see equal justice in our country against people that, frankly, have NO excuse for driving under the influence of anything. They all killed someone because of their lack of judgement. No different (in my opinion) if they randomly shot a loaded gun in to the sky, and it killed someone. Sure they didn’t “Mean to kill that person” – but it’s equally as stupid in 2019 that someone would do such a thing. It’s VERY obvious that the results are likely going to hurt or kill someone.

What’s the biggest kicker? It seems that NONE of the Drunks die, or suffer much, compared to the victims they hit. Most of them are barely injured (if at all like the case in my uncle – she “hurt her wrist” while my uncle was DOA in a flipped 2018 Toyota Tacoma with “Cardiac Arrest – Failed to resuscitate”).

Please help get these killers off the street. Nobody should have to suffer the loss of a loved one because of anyone else’s poor choices. Drinking/Drugged driving is 100% preventable = Zero Excuses. It’s 2019 with TV, radio, internet, schools, organizations (MADD + others) that spread enough information that nobody can claim ignorance to the effects of drunk driving.

Thank you for your time – I pray we can fix this issue…People are scared to drive around here now, especially after June 4th.

***

In summary to my letter from above:

DO NOT DRIVE WHILE INTOXICATED!

If you are so inclined – Please check https://www.gofundme.com/texp6-george

Anything (especially prayers) would be greatly appreciated.

UPDATE (Dec, 2019):

The drunk driver is still free and waiting on trial…it’s been months since my uncle’s death and no justice has yet to be served. The kids are gone with their mom (permanently), and life has completely changed for me. Can’t believe this is how our justice system works while criminals walk free :/