Woman Convicted In Fatal 2011 Distracted Driving Crash

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A Southern California woman was convicted Thursday for texting and chatting on the phone moments before a 2011 crash that killed a 23-year-old driver.

Prosecutors say Jorlene Ypanto Nicolas, 31, was driving at speeds upwards of 80 mile per hour while texting on the 405 Freeway in Westminster before she slammed into the car driven by Deanna Mauer on April 27, 2011.

Nicolas sobbed when the jury's verdict was read and the judge ordered her to be taken into custody.

Prosecutors said Nicolas sent 13 text messages in the 15 minutes before the crash and answered a phone call just before the impact.

Nicolas' attorney told the Orange County Superior Court jury that investigators misinterpreted data from the crash and came to the wrong conclusion about who caused it.

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