SANTA ANA, Calif. – Courtney Fritz Pandolfi, a repeat DUI driver convicted of murder in the death of Yesenia Aguilar, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was sentenced on Friday.

Pandolfi was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. 

The couple’s infant daughter miraculously survived the crash after being delivered through an emergency C-section following Aguilar’s death. The little girl, now three years old, joined her father in the Santa Ana courtroom Friday. 

Pandolfi had three previous DUI convictions, and one pending DUI involving drugs, when she got behind the wheel of her white Jeep SUV on Aug. 11, 2020 and jumped the curb onto an Anaheim sidewalk.

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Pregnant Aguilar was walking and holding hands with her husband on Katella Ave. near Bayless St. in Orange County around 7:30 p.m.

Pandolfi drove down the sidewalk and crashed into a metal newspaper stand. Despite the collision, Pandolfi continued down the sidewalk, where she hit Aguilar without braking or turning the vehicle, according to officials.

The 44-year-old was under the influence of a drug cocktail, including cocaine, methamphetamine and morphine, when she hit and killed Aguilar.

“This was not an accident. This is a woman who made a habit of driving while high. She was warned over and over again about the dangers of her actions,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “She knew it was wrong, but she decided that being high was more important than the life of a young woman who was just weeks away from becoming a mother for the first time.”

Yesenia Aguilar (left) and daughter holding her late mother’s photo (right).

In addition to her murder charge, Pandolfi also pleaded guilty to two drug-related charges while she was incarcerated awaiting trial.

“Yesenia’s memory will live on through her beautiful, little girl,” said Spitzer. “But that little girl is growing up without ever being able to hug her mother or hear her voice because a stranger decided to make the selfish decision to get behind the wheel while high on drugs.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.