Crime & Safety
Winchester Man Charged With Killing Woman In Alcohol-Fueled Crash
Elvis Eugene Tate, 59, of Winchester was arrested Sunday after the crash that killed 27-year-old Ashley Alcarez, also of Winchester.
MURRIETA, CA — A man accused of driving drunk and causing a four-vehicle crash in French Valley has been charged with second-degree murder and felony DUI. Elvis Eugene Tate, 59, of Winchester was arrested Sunday after the crash that killed 27-year-old Ashley Alcarez, also of Winchester.
Though Tate was originally arrested on suspicion of murder, the district attorney's office filed a charge of second-degree murder on Wednesday. The man remains locked up at the downtown Riverside jail with a $1 million bail and he was scheduled to appear in a French Valley courtroom on Wednesday afternoon.
The deadly crash Tate's accused of causing happened around 5:35 p.m. Sunday along Winchester Road/SR-79, according to fire and CHP officials
As Tate was headed northbound on the 79 in a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant, he ran a red light at Benton Road, slamming into a woman who was turning onto the roadway, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig. That woman was in a 2016 Honda Civic along with another person and was turning on a green light, he said.
"[Tate] failed to stop for the red traffic signal at Benton Road and the front of his vehicle collided with the left front door of [the woman's] vehicle, killing her instantly and inflicting major injuries on her passenger," Lassig said in a news release. "After the initial collision, the vehicles continued out of control and struck two additional vehicles that were stopped in the southbound lanes of Winchester."
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics pronounced Alcarez dead at the scene.
Her front-seat passenger, a 28-year-old Winchester man, was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment. He is recovering from his injuries.
According to Lassig, the occupants of the two stopped vehicles that were struck received attention from paramedics but declined to be taken to the hospital for further examination.
Tate was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center and treated for moderate injuries, after which he was booked into jail.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
SEE PREVIOUS:
- Details, ID Released In Deadly French Valley Wreck: DUI Suspected
- Deadly, Fiery French Valley Crash Reported
— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Joe Fannasalle
