Drunk Driving Suspect Ornelas Remains in Jail

NEWPORT BEACH —  A convicted drunk driver who killed a Newport Beach woman in 1988 and is now facing another drunk driving charge will remain in jail after his lawyer withdrew a request to reduce his bail.

Danny David Ornelas, 26, was arrested Monday on suspicion of drunk driving while drag-racing through a 30-mph residential street. Police said an open case of beer was found in his car.

Ornelas made headlines 7 1/2 years ago after he was convicted of fatally striking Debbie Killelea, a 37-year-old mother of three, in front of two of her children as he drove near their Balboa Peninsula home.

Deputy Public Defender Jeannette Noceda said she rescinded the request to lower Ornelas’ $25,000 because she wanted to limit his court appearances in a bid to keep his name out of newspapers. Had he gone forward with the request, Ornelas would have faced at least two court hearings before he goes on trial in March.

In 1988, an Orange County Superior Court jury found Ornelas guilty of grossly negligent vehicular manslaughter, and a judge sentenced him to five to 10 years in prison. But an appellate court overturned the conviction on the grounds that the judge gave improper instructions to the jury before deliberations.

Three years later, he was convicted a second time of a lesser charge of vehicular manslaughter stemming from the same 1988 case. The judge sentenced him to two years in prison but set him free because he had already served that much time in jail.

Ornelas remains at Orange County Men’s Jail until his next appearance at Municipal Court in Newport Beach on March 5. If convicted, Ornelas faces up to six months in County Jail and a $1,000 fine, prosecutors said.