San Clemente Woman Sentenced In DUI, Murder Of 3 Las Vegas Teens

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA —A San Clemente mother was sentenced Thursday to 51 years to life in prison for an alcohol-fueled crash that killed three Las Vegas teenagers who were spending spring break in Huntington Beach two years ago.

Bani Marcela Duarte, 29, was found guilty on three counts of second-degree murder and a single count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, for causing the March 29, 2018, pre-dawn crash.

Three Las Vegas teens were killed as a result of the violent crash: driver Brooke Hawley, 17, and passengers Dylan Mack, 18, and Albert Rossi, 18. Their high school classmate, Alexis Vargas, managed to escape the burning Toyota Camry though he sustained second-degree burns to one arm.

There was no joy in the victory of sending Duarte to prison, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman. During the sentencing hearing, he told Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary Paer about a "beyond gut-wrenching" note from the Duarte's daughter, who said "she's being a good girl," so that her mother can return home.

"I don't envy this court at this moment," Feldman said. He reminded the court about Duarte's actions that night.

She got "into her own car, with her own children's car seats visible to her," he said. Then, she turned the key though, according to witnesses, she could barely walk after a night of drinking.
During Duarte's trial, Feldman told the courtroom that Duarte visited several bars and clubs throughout Orange County that fateful night. She ended up at Baja Sharkeez in Newport Beach, where "she consumed an unfathomable amount of alcohol."

When she left the bar, the severely impaired Duarte intended to head home, sending her north into Huntington Beach instead of south toward San Clemente, Feldman said.

Three men in a Jeep spotted her erratic driving, and one of them called 911, he said.

While making a left turn onto Pacific Coast Highway, "she swung so wide she struck the curb with the passenger side of her car," Feldman said.

Duarte got out of the Hyundai she was driving to "inspect the damage," and then got back into the car and kept driving, he said.

"She ignored that warning about her ability to drive," Feldman said.

The three witnesses said she appeared to be "beyond intoxicated," and that she was "burping, staggering," he said.

The callers remained on the line with a 911 dispatcher when the Hyundai slammed into the rear of a Toyota Camry that was stopped at a red light at Magnolia Street about 1 a.m., Feldman said. The Camry burst into flames from the impact.

Feldman said a post-crash blood test showed her blood-alcohol level was 0.28 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Hawley's mother, Rhonda, told the judge, "We lost such a bright and beautiful girl, and in the process, we all lost ourselves."

Brooke Hawley was the designated driver for her friends the night of the crash, according to her family.

She was an honors student in her junior year and was being scouted by soccer coaches for college, her parents said.

The teen's father, Aaron Hawley, said he is haunted by how his daughter died.

"I never got to say goodbye to my daughter," he said. "Her body was horrifically burned."

Rossi's father, also named Albert, told Judge Paer that he was a Vietnam veteran, and he compared his son's death to his combat experience.

"Vietnam was a living hell, but it was a walk in the park compared to this," the elder Rossi said, adding he suffered a heart attack after his son's death.

"My son was an avid athlete," Rossi said. "He was an avid ocean swimmer. He was a great basketball player and a wonderful football player."

Rossi's sister, Allie, said she helped raise her brother because their mother died when Albert was only 5.

"My brother loved the beach," she said, explaining how for the past four years, he would go on road trips to the Pacific Ocean. "Anything near the ocean he loved."

She said her brother "lit up every room. ... He was good at everything he did."

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.