EXCLUSIVE: Family fills courtroom as woman accused in DUI death of Good Samaritan appears in court

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Merced County courtroom was filled to capableness Thursday arsenic relatives and friends of 28-year-old Abraham Bustos Guzman attended the arraignment of the pistillate accused of sidesplitting him successful a DUI clang past year.

Prosecutors accidental 23-year-old Yessica Partida was driving intoxicated connected Highway 99 adjacent Atwater successful March erstwhile she crashed into an SUV and struck Guzman, who had stopped to assistance different operator moments earlier.

Braulio Bustos, Guzman's brother, said the household is inactive grappling with the nonaccomplishment and shared that his member acted retired of axenic compassion that morning.

"He saw idiosyncratic that was stuck and that was injured and got retired of his conveyance and retired of his safety, retired of his comfortableness zone, to assistance idiosyncratic successful request -- idiosyncratic that needed his assistance astatine that time," helium said. "It's unfortunate that my brother's beingness was taken that morning."

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Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira announced the charges Partida present faces, including "one gross vehicular manslaughter portion intoxicated and different driving nether the power charge."

She said Partida is being held without bail.

"She volition beryllium held without immoderate accidental to beryllium released due to the fact that she does contiguous that ample of a nationalist information danger," Silveira said.

Despite his grief, Braulio Bustos said helium is trying to determination forward.

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"I forgive her for her actions, and that's thing hard to say, but I forgive her for what happened," helium said.

Guzman was known successful the assemblage for his unpaid work, peculiarly arsenic an advisor to the Merced Police Department's Explorer program.

"He volunteered thousands and thousands of hours to the community; helium served and helped with the Merced Police Department and the Gustine Police Department," his member said.

The nonaccomplishment has been particularly achy for Guzman's mother, who has present mislaid 2 children.

"This is the 2nd kid that has passed distant successful her life," Braulio said. "That's a symptom nary genitor should ever hold. It should beryllium america burying our parents, not the different mode around."

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