A 22-year-old Michigan woman was sentenced to six years in prison plus 10 years' probation Friday for killing a Tucson man in an alcohol-related head-on collision last year.
Once Elizabeth Tuccini is released from prison, her driver's license will be revoked for three years and she'll have to have an ignition interlock device placed on her car for one year once she is able to drive.
Tuccini moved to Tucson from Allen Park, Mich. in November 2008 to help her uncle with the Arizona branch of her family's produce company after he was involved in a crash, according to court documents.
On Dec. 20, 2008, Tuccini spent the day Christmas shopping in the Phoenix area, bought a pint of Jaegermeister, mixed it with an energy drink and drank it as she drove home.
Tuccini was speeding on the Interstate 10 frontage road when she crossed the center line and struck Marco Salazar head-on two miles north of the Marana Road exit.
Tuccini's 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup truck flipped over. She suffered a broken wrist and lacerations on both legs.
Salazar, who was 10 days shy of his 55th birthday, was thrown from his 1987 Toyota pickup truck and killed.
Preliminary tests showed Tuccini's blood alcohol level was 0.187; the legal limit in Arizona is 0.08. Her Michigan driver's license had also been suspended for failing to pay a fine.
A Pima County jury was asked to convict Tuccini of manslaughter during her September trial, but they convicted her of the less serious charge of negligent homicide. She was also convicted of two counts of aggravated driving under the influence and criminal damage.
On Friday, Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Nichols watched a video photo montage of Salazar's life and listened as Salazar's brothers, daughter and cousin spoke about their loss.
They described Salazar as a family man who loved motorcycles, especially his 1972 Harley Davidson. He is survived by his mother, three children, six grandchildren and three siblings.
Monica Salazar told Nichols she visits her father's grave twice a day and her brother sometimes sleeps there.
"We wish this was a horrible nightmare that we could wake up from," she said.
Defense attorney Michael Bloom described his client as a hardworking, nice young woman who made a horrible mistake she deeply regrets.
In fact, Tuccini told him she thought the jury should have convicted her on the manslaughter charge, Bloom said.
Since the crash, Tuccini has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and participating in counseling, Bloom said.
Tuccini has also been volunteering at a long-term care facility for senior citizens, working with Alzheimer's patients, Bloom said.
While it's easy to say you are remorseful, her actions prove it, Bloom said.
Tuccini turned to the Salazar family, which packed most of the courtroom, and said, "I know there's nothing I can say to take away your pain, but I truly am sorry."
Tuccini's sentence mirrored Deputy Pima County Attorney Victoria Otto's recommendation. She said the Salazar family wanted Tuccini placed on probation after her prison term to ensure no one else has to endure what they are enduring.
Before the proceedings started, Tuccini was formally served with a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against her and her parents by the Salazar family
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