Jury Convicts Repeat Drugged Driver for Killing Fountain Valley Cyclist

A man has been convicted of second-degree murder in a hit-and-run collision that killed a bicyclist in Newport Beach last year.

Prosecutors say Neil Storm Stephany, a convicted drunken driver, got high on heroin before getting behind the wheel, despite having been warned twice about the dangers of driving under the influence.

As a convicted drunken driver, Stephany was warned he could face a murder charge if he were involved in a deadly collision while intoxicated, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said in her opening statement of Stephany’s trial. The defendant fled the crash scene because he was on probation and knew he was in trouble, Walker added.

“On Oct. 19, 2014, the defendant drove while high on heroin, knowing what could happen and he did it anyway,” Walker said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Stephany’s attorney, however, told jurors his client’s “state of mind” at the time of the collision was so clouded he did not know he hit anyone, and the defendant should not be convicted of second-degree murder.

The collision happened about 5 p.m. that afternoon on East Coast Highway. Shaun Eagleson, 30, of Fountain Valley, was riding his bike northbound and was killed when he was struck by a Toyota Tacoma, Walker said.

Before the collision, calls were already streaming in to police about the defendant’s “erratic driving” on the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (73) toll road, according to the prosecutor.

“They saw him in his truck driving all over the place, stopping at green lights,” Walker said.

Stephany struck a guard rail on Pacific Coast Highway, Walker said.

After running over Eagleson, “the defendant stopped briefly and fled the scene because he didn’t want to get into trouble,” Walker said.

Police caught up with Stephany near Fashion Island, where he failed field sobriety tests and had “fresh track marks from heroin use,” Walker said.

Blood tests showed the defendant had heroin and Lorazepam in his system, Walker said. He also had another drug on him that is used to help with heroin withdrawal, according to Walker.

Stephany had intended to check into a rehabilitation facility the following day, the prosecutor said.

The defendant had been warned twice that if he drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs, he would face a murder charge, Walker said. Stephany would typically have faced a manslaughter charge, but has a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, prompting the second-degree murder charge.

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City News Service