Ventura County Double-Fatal DUI Case Advances: Santa Paula Driver Held to Answer on All Counts, Including Two Counts of Second-Degree Murder
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced on October 20 that David Mora of Santa Paula was held to answer on all charges following a preliminary hearing in Ventura County Superior Court, in Ventura County, California. Mora, 29, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and multiple DUI counts stemming from a September 25, 2026 crash in Oxnard that killed two drivers.
According to District Attorney Erik Nasarenko's office, on September 25, 2026, at about 4:00 p.m., Mora allegedly drove under the influence of alcohol northbound on Victoria Avenue in Oxnard and, at the Doris Avenue intersection, ran a red light at approximately 110 mph — double the speed limit — striking two other vehicles. Both drivers, Tranquilino Carbrizal Ortiz and Jose Luis Martinez Perez, were killed, three other people were injured, and eight vehicles were involved in total.
Mora is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher causing injury. He also faces several special allegations, including a drunk driving prior, causing bodily injury or death to more than one victim, and inflicting great bodily injury in the commission of a felony. The District Attorney's Office had announced the filing of the charges on October 7; the held-to-answer ruling means the judge found sufficient evidence after the preliminary hearing for the case to proceed to trial. Criminal charges are allegations that have not yet been proven in court.
Deputy District Attorney Erin Weilbacher of the District Attorney's DUI Unit is prosecuting the case. Mora is scheduled to be arraigned on the information on October 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He remains in custody with bail set at $5 million. The case number is 2026028823 and the court number is 26CF102094.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于加州文图拉市的文图拉县旧法院大楼（1912年建成、现为文图拉市政厅，资料图）。照片：Ymblanter 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / The historic Ventura County Courthouse building in Ventura, California (completed in 1912, now Ventura City Hall; file photo). Photo by Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
