A local man is facing murder charges after allegedly driving his truck the wrong way down a Sunnyvale street, crashing into an area woman, killing her.
Just before 11 p.m. April 9, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) responded to the scene of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Central Expressway and Commercial Street.
Officers later arrested Brian Burke, 34, of San Jose for drunk driving.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney subsequently charged him with murder.
“More than 10,000 people die in drunk driving incidents every year in this country,” Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen wrote in a press release. “Not one of them was what I would ever call an accident. Every single one was an avoidable criminal tragedy, and in this case – a murder.”
Upon arriving at the scene, DPS found a 52-year-old Mountain View woman trapped inside her Jeep Compass with major injuries, according to the DA’s office.
The victim was on her way home from Denny’s, where she worked, when Burke allegedly crashed his Ford F-150 head-on into her Jeep. Although first responders were able to extract the victim, her injuries were too extensive, and she died at the scene.
First responders found Burke seated in the driver’s seat of his pickup, which suffered major front-end damage. They subsequently transported Burke to Valley Medical Center, 660 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Sunnyvale for medical evaluation.
Burke declined to speak to investigators and refused a blood test for chemical analysis, according to police. After securing a warrant to collect the blood sample, police discovered Burke had been driving drunk.
Given that the DA charged Burke with murder, it is highly likely that he faces a special type of second-degree murder called a Watson charge. Such a charge implies that Burke had a drunk driving record. If convicted on a Watson charge, Burke faces 15 years to life in prison.
The court arraigned Burke on April 13. He is being held without bail. His next court date is 9 a.m. June 2, in Department 84 at the Palo Alto Courthouse, 270 Grant Ave. in Palo Alto.
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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