Murder Charge Filed in Death of Burlingame Man

• (image of Vivaldo Braga Veloso Jr. and family via gofundme.com)

REDWOOD CITY - A San Jose man who allegedly killed a Burlingame man while driving drunk on U.S. Highway 101 last month has been charged with murder, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Louis Sale, 31, has been charged with second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI and driving without a license, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Sale allegedly plowed his pickup truck into the back of a car driven by 46-year-old Vivaldo Braga Veloso Jr. while heading south on Highway 101 north of the San Bruno Avenue off-ramp at about 3:45 a.m. on April 9.

The pickup careened across the highway and landed in the right lane, but Sale was uninjured.

Veloso, however, was crushed inside his car and rushed to Stanford Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was declared brain dead and taken off life support a few days later, according to a GoFundMe campaign started on behalf of his family.

Sale appeared to be intoxicated when California Highway Patrol officers arrived and a blood test showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.15 percent, prosecutors said.

He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon for a possible plea entry.

Veloso was the father of two daughters, who are 6 and 4 years old, according to the GoFundMe campaign.

The campaign has managed to raise more than its $60,000 stated goal. As of noon on Tuesday, $65,748 has been donated to help the family with funeral and other expenses.

The GoFundMe page is available here.

-Bay City News