VISTA, Calif.—A former Camp Pendleton Marine who drove drunk and caused a wrong-way crash that killed a motorcyclist in Fallbrook was sentenced Aug. 25 to 15 years to life in state prison.
Adam Daniel Barooshian, 29, was convicted of second-degree murder for the New Year’s Day 2019 crash that killed 29-year-old Christopher Williams of Oceanside.
At the time of the crash, Barooshian was on probation for a prior DUI offense, prosecutors said.
He was tried twice, with jurors in his first trial convicting him of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. The first jury was unable to reach a consensus on the second-degree murder charge, leading to Barooshian’s second trial in Vista earlier this year.
According to prosecutors, Barooshian was speeding eastbound on the westbound side of state Route 76 near Via Monserate shortly before 4 a.m. when his Lexus IS 300 hit Williams, who died at the scene.
Williams, a father of two sons who were 8 and 5 years old at the time, was on his way home from his job as a security guard and emergency medical technician at Pauma Casino, according to the Oceanside Police Officers’ Association.
Barooshian’s blood-alcohol content was measured at .18 percent—more than twice the legal limit for driving in California, according to Deputy District Attorney David Uyar.
At his sentencing hearing, Barooshian apologized to the victim’s family and said he planned to address his alcohol issues while incarcerated.
“Words cannot express how sorry I am for not only taking the life of Mr. Williams, but taking a husband from his wife, a father from his sons, and a son from his parents,” Barooshian said.
Williams’s widow, Sarah, said “Chris was my rock, my best friend, my children’s father, and my support system.” She said her husband was seeking a career as a firefighter and “so badly wanted to help others in his community.”
San Diego Superior Court Judge Brad Weinreb called the crash, “a tragic situation, but one that easily could have been avoided” prior to imposing the 15-year-to-life term.
