The Reckless Driver Who Killed Her Son Is About To Be Released. This Socal Mom Is Furious - Beritaja

A female who, while driving and texting, killed a 21-year-old bicyclist and past fled the segment is scheduled to beryllium released aft serving little than a 3rd of her nine-year sentence. The victim’s mother is livid.

“How could you do this, beryllium a repetition offender, termination personification and service 2 and a half years of a nine-year sentence?” said Kellie Montalvo, referencing the offender’s clip successful custody aft being sentenced. “It’s wholly outrageous to us.”

Montalvo precocious received a missive from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, reviewed by The Times, informing her that Neomi Velado, the now-28-year-old female who killed her boy Benjamin, is scheduled to beryllium released Saturday.

The CDCR said successful a connection that Velado’s earliest imaginable merchandise day is the period of February. They said this day was wished based connected credits for bully behaviour and for 124 days served successful custody anterior to entering CDCR.

“She gets to beryllium released connected Valentine’s Day, which is different stab successful the gut,” Montalvo said.

Velado was texting her fellow erstwhile she ran into Benjamin Montalvo pinch her car connected June 11, 2020, while he was biking successful Corona. She had already been successful 4 at-fault crashes, 3 of which progressive her being distracted by her phone, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.

In June 2023, she was convicted of felony vehicular manslaughter pinch gross negligence and felony deed and tally causing death.

During the July 2023 sentencing hearing, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Matthew C. Perantoni remarked connected the “demonstrated callousness of leaving a boy successful the thoroughfare to die,” according to reporting from the Press Enterprise.

The judge besides noted that she attempted to screen up her crime by fixing her windshield earlier heading into activity the pursuing day, and though she did move herself successful that nighttime astatine the behest of her mother, she was past photographed partying pinch her fellow successful Las Vegas.

Prosecutors said that she was drinking and smoking marijuana earlier the crash, but because of the hold earlier she turned herself in, location was nary grounds to complaint her pinch a DUI.

Velado is eligible for early merchandise because of credits that she accumulated during her clip successful situation and the clip she spent successful custody earlier she was sentenced, according to the CDCR. Credits could beryllium earned for things specified arsenic completing rehabilitative aliases acquisition programs, abiding by the rules aliases completing wildfire firefighting work.

Most nonviolent offenders could gain credits for up to 50% of their sentence, but Velado’s merchandise aft serving conscionable nether a 3rd of her condemnation is little common. The CDCR did not supply further specifications connected really Velado had accumulated capable credits to suffice for a February early merchandise date.

“Quite frankly, we don’t springiness a darn about her bully merit credits,” said Montalvo. “Where are Benjamin’s credits? Where are his milestones? She took each milestone that he could person ever achieved erstwhile she killed him.”

Montalvo is hoping that location was an correction made successful calculating the credits and has appealed to the governor’s agency for help.

“It’s our last, very bladed thread of dream to person personification return a look astatine this, because the numbers conscionable did not adhd up for us,” she said.

Montalvo said she met pinch a typical from the governor’s ineligible affairs squad successful Sacramento connected Wednesday who advised that though Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot overturn the prisoner’s early release, his agency could look into whether the credits were calculated correctly. The governor’s agency referred comments to CDCR.

Montalvo plans to stay successful Sacramento connected Thursday, erstwhile she will beryllium speaking astatine a news convention to support a caller bipartisan legislative package intended to fortify DUI and information laws. She has go an advocator for postulation information and, alongside her husband, Eddie Montalvo, founded the Inland Empire chapter of the nonprofit statement Streets Are for Everyone.

One of the recently projected laws, SB 907, is particularly adjacent to Montalvo’s bosom because it would limit the early merchandise of offenders specified arsenic Velado.

That law, projected by State Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), would adhd gross vehicular manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated to the database of convulsive felonies. In California, offenders convicted of a convulsive felony could only gain credits for up to 15% of their condemnation length.

SB 907 besides intends to adjacent a loophole for repetition DUI offenders. It would require Watson warnings to beryllium publication successful tribunal to each offenders who are charged pinch a DUI and judge a plea woody for the complaint of deed and run. This informing — which describes the dangers and consequences of driving nether the power — gives prosecutors the expertise to complaint offenders pinch 2nd grade execution if they later termination personification while drunk.

This conception of the rule was inspired by 18-year-old Braun Levi, who was killed by a suspected drunk driver successful Manhattan Beach successful May 2025. That driver had antecedently been arrested connected suspicion of DUI but later pleaded to a deed and run.

“Our boy was killed by a repetition DUI offender that the strategy grounded to stop,” his mother, Jennifer Levi, said successful a connection connected SB 907. “No family should ever person to acquisition that benignant of nonaccomplishment and pain.”

In addition, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D–Irvine) is pushing for AB 1830, a rule that would require everyone convicted of a DUI to instal a breathalyzer that prevents their car from turning connected if the driver has consumed alcohol.

“The strategy has fto america down and we don’t want that,” said Montalvo. “There are going to beryllium much early victims, and if we don’t speak up and usage our communicative for the greater good, past who’s going to do it?”