Former O.C. Man Found Guilty in Fatal Crash
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A former Marine from Orange County was convicted Thursday of two felonies in connection with a crash on Interstate 5 near Carlsbad that killed a California Highway Patrol officer.
A Superior Court jury convicted Christopher Merrick, 20, of felony hit-and-run and gross vehicular manslaughter in the Oct. 20, 2000, death of Officer Sean Nava. The jury acquitted Merrick of second-degree murder.
Prosecutors alleged that Merrick, originally of Breckenridge, Colo., was drunk from a night of partying in Tijuana when his car hit Nava, who was standing near the median.
Merrick remains in jail pending his sentencing. He faces up to 15 years in prison. He was discharged from the Marine Corps after the accident.
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