A New Mexico woman charged with manslaughter after she reportedly made an illegal turn on State Route 80 near Bisbee which resulted in another driver’s death has been ordered to stand trial next month even though the state crime lab has not finished testing the woman’s blood.
Debra Charlotte Franco of Silver City will be in Cochise County Superior Court on Jan. 10 for a pre-trial conference in advance of a six day trial set to start Feb. 10. She has been indicted on a Class 2 felony of manslaughter by recklessly causing a death, as well as negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an injury accident, and aggravated assault with a dangerous instrument stemming from the Aug. 31 incident.
Franco, 66, is also charged with one misdemeanor count of being impaired “to the slightest degree” while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. However, the parties are awaiting the results of blood-alcohol and drug tests administered after Franco’s arrest.
According to court documents, Franco was at the wheel of a Chevrolet Tahoe which turned onto eastbound State Route 80 from State Route 90 when she suddenly slowed down to begin a U-turn into the westbound lane. A passenger car driven by Jesus R. Campoy of Douglas struck a guardrail head on while attempting to avoid the Tahoe.
The force of the impact caused Campoy’s car to bounce off the guardrail and slide across the traffic lanes where it was struck by a westbound pickup driven by Paolo DeLorenzo of Tucson. DeLorenzo was injured in the collision, while Campoy, 71, died at the scene.
After the collision, an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer followed the Tahoe as it headed away from the accident toward Tombstone. With help from the CHIP officer, local authorities performed a traffic stop and took Franco into custody nearly 25 miles from the SR80/90 intersection.
Franco has remained in the Cochise County jail since her arrest, unable to post a $50,000 performance bond which would prohibit her from driving a vehicle, drinking alcohol, or using any illegal substance if released. The bond would also require Franco to submit to GPS monitoring and attend all future court proceedings including her trial.