July 5, 2008
Immigrant to plead guilty to manslaughter
Eduardo Morales-Soriano, an illegal immigrant charged with killing two people in a drunken driving accident in 2006 in Columbia, will plead guilty to two counts of negligent manslaughter, his attorney said yesterday in Howard County court.
The move averts a trial that was scheduled for July. A plea agreement was thrown out by a judge in January.
Morales-Soriano, 27, of Laurel, had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit when his Nissan Sentra slammed into the back of the car driven by Jennifer Bower, 24, on Thanksgiving night, police have said.
Bower's car, a Toyota Corolla, was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Routes 175 and 108 in Columbia. She and her passenger, Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews, 21, were killed.
Last fall, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with Morales-Soriano that recommended an eight-year prison term, which falls at the top of state sentencing guidelines. Howard County Circuit Judge Lenore R. Gelfman accepted that plea, but rejected it in January after receiving more information about the case from a pre-sentence investigation. The judge said she did not find the terms of that plea "adequate."
Prosecutors yesterday did not divulge the terms of the new plea or say whether more jail time would be recommended.
Morales-Soriano could face up to 20 years in prison for the two charges. He is scheduled to enter the plea and be sentenced on May 28, said his attorney, Brad Goldbloom. A trial had been scheduled for July 21.
Goldbloom and prosecutors declined to comment yesterday until after sentencing.
Authorities think that Morales-Soriano, who is from Mexico, entered the country illegally, and they expect him to be deported after serving his sentence.
The accident added to the heated debate about issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. Morales-Soriano got a license in North Carolina in 2004 and used it to get a Maryland license the following year.
Maryland is one of a few states that allow residents to obtain licenses regardless of immigration status. Gov. Martin O'Malley said in February that in two years, the state will require proof of legal residency.
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