IRVINE, Calif. – A 42-year-old Irvine man pleaded guilty to a deadly DUI-related crash that killed a woman and injured her husband and two children. Kamal Akwette Attoh pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is set to be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on April 8. Attoh had previously been convicted of driving drunk in 2000 and 2002, leading to the elevated charge of murder rather than vehicular manslaughter.
The tragic collision occurred on May 16, 2018, when Attoh’s BMW X5 struck the family as they walked home from a park in Irvine. The impact killed 44-year-old Jeongmi Choi and left her husband critically injured with a ruptured spleen. The couple’s teenage daughter and son were also hospitalized.
Kamal’s attorney, Jeff Kent, stated that his client chose to plead guilty to take responsibility for his actions and spare the family from the ordeal of a trial. Attoh had initially claimed to have consumed four beers and Xanax before driving, but later admitted to drinking vodka and martinis.
This tragic incident underscores the devastating impacts of driving under the influence, especially for the innocent victims who bear the brunt of such reckless behavior. Attoh’s guilty plea brings a small measure of closure to the grieving family, but it serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of responsible and sober driving.