ORANGE COUNTY SENIOR DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY HONORED AS ONE OF 2011’S TOP WOMEN LITIGATORS

ORANGE COUNTY SENIOR DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY HONORED AS ONE OF 2011’S TOP WOMEN LITIGATORS

SANTA ANA – Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Susan Price has been honored as one of The Daily Journal‘s Top 75 Women Litigators for 2011 for her work prosecuting vehicular homicide cases for the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office.

Price has conducted close to 100 jury trials. She started her career in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and joined the OCDA in 2005. She was selected in 2008 for the new OCDA Homicide Unit Vehicular Homicide Team to prosecute murder, vehicular homicide, and vehicular manslaughter cases.

Price successfully prosecuted the high-profile triple-murder case against defendant Andrew Gallo (Case # 09ZF0061), who was sentenced to 51 years to life in state prison in 2010 after being convicted by a jury of three felony counts of second degree murder, one felony count of fleeing the scene of a traffic collision involving death or permanent injury, one felony count of driving under the influence causing injury, one felony count of driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol causing injury, and sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury. Gallo was driving on a suspended driver’s license due to a prior conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. He was speeding at approximately 65 mph in a 35 mph zone, ran through a red light, and crashed into a car that was legally passing through the intersection. Gallo murdered three people in the crash and seriously injured a fourth while driving under the influence of alcohol. The three murdered victims included 22-year-old Nicholas Adenhart, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim playing in his fifth professional season, 20-year-old Courtney Stewart, a student and former cheerleader at California State University, Fullerton, and 25-year-old Henry Pearson, a law student working toward becoming a sports agent. The fourth victim, 24-year-old Jon Wilhite, a former player for the Titans baseball team, was critically injured and suffered an internal decapitation. After crashing into the victims’ car, Gallo fled the scene on foot. He was arrested less than 30 minutes later and had a blood alcohol level of .19 percent.

Price also successfully prosecuted the first juvenile in the State to be charged as an adult with murder for a drunken driving crash. Defendant Milad Moulayi (Case # 08ZF0039) was found guilty by a jury of second degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison in 2009. In August 2008, a juvenile court judge suspended 17-year-old Moulayi’s driving learner’s permit and ordered him not to drive for one year. The next day, Moulayi had a party at his home and consumed several alcoholic drinks. At approximately 2:40 a.m., he left his house to drive his friend, 16-year-old Mackenzie Frazee, back to her house. He ignored pleas from his friends not to drive because he was too intoxicated.  The defendant was speeding at 112 mph, drove over the center median, crashed into a light pole, and caused the car to split in half. The front half of the car caught on fire, and the Orange County Fire Authority had to cut Frazee free from her seatbelt. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital due to blunt force trauma. Moulayi had a blood alcohol level of .11 percent.

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