Judge decides on pretrial detention for vehicular homicide suspect

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A woman, accused of crashing and killing another driver in September after speeding through a busy intersection learned whether or not she’ll be locked up through her trial. The state asked for Nikole Zamora to be kept in jail through her vehicular homicide trial, based on her convictions for speeding and failing to obey traffic laws.

“She did end up causing a collision that involved five vehicles. Essentially according to witness statements, the defendant was driving at a high rate of speed on Lomas, she ran the red light on 6th, 5th, 4th, and then ultimately, ran the red light on Second Street,” said Deputy District Attorney Guinevere Ice.

Zamora was arrested on September 22 after investigators said she was going more than 70 miles per hour through a red light at a busy intersection on Lomas. She hit another car, which had the right-of-way, killing the driver and seriously injuring its passenger. The victim’s car was pushed into three other cars waiting at a stop light.

Zamora’s lawyer argued that his client would not be a risk to the community if released. “She doesn’t have a car and is ordered not to drive, then the public will not be in danger judge, she does not have a failure to comply history,” said Zamora’s attorney, Robert Cooper.

However, Judge David Murphy disagreed. “The bottom line is pretrial services; even if I were to order it, would not be able to monitor whether or not the defendant actually drives a vehicle. It would just be the defendant’s promise that alone is not sufficient for the court today, so I am satisfied that the state has met its burden,” said Judge Murphy.

The judge sided with the state, agreeing to keep Zamora in jail while she awaits trial. Zamora is facing numerous charges, including vehicular homicide. If found guilty, she’s facing nine years behind bars.

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