Fresno woman gets 15 years to life for fatal DUI crash

Leigha Linae Addington was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison after a Fresno County jury found her guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Brenda Sue Ricci, a 65-year-old Fresno woman killed in a 2021 DUI crash on Highway 180 near Cornelia Avenue. Jurors reached their verdict in less than an hour, a swift end to a case built around Addington’s prior DUI history, court warnings and evidence that prosecutors said showed a deadly level of impairment.

Prosecutors said Addington was driving westbound on April 17, 2021, when her GMC Sierra drifted onto the right dirt shoulder, she overcorrected, crossed into oncoming traffic and hit another vehicle head-on. Ricci had been newly retired and was returning home after visiting relatives when the collision occurred. She was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where she fought for nearly a month before being removed from life support and dying from her injuries.

Along with second-degree murder, the jury convicted Addington of driving on a suspended license causing injury and driving with a blood alcohol concentration above .01% while on DUI probation. Prosecutors said she had two prior DUI convictions, including one in Stanislaus County on January 29, 2021, less than three months before the fatal crash. They also said courts had already warned her that if she kept driving impaired and killed someone, she could face murder charges.

Evidence presented in the case included a California Highway Patrol test showing at least a 0.26% blood alcohol concentration. Later testing reportedly detected cocaine and THC in her system. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Gabriel Brickey imposed the sentence on June 16, 2026.

The prosecution was handled by Senior Deputy District Attorney Steven Ueltzen and Senior District Attorney Investigator Randall Paulson through the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ricci’s family described her during sentencing as a loving wife, sister, aunt and friend whose kindness and generosity left a lasting mark, and her husband, Mark Booze, said the murder conviction brought justice for his family. The sentence closes one chapter in a case that raised hard questions about how Fresno County courts confront repeat DUI offenders before a crash turns fatal.