Silvia Corona pleads not guilty to murder in fatal DUI crash

Silvia Corona, 52, of San Jacinto, pleaded not guilty on Monday to second-degree murder and four counts of DUI resulting in great bodily injury. The charges stem from an August 15 collision at the intersection of Ramona Expressway and Rider Street in Perris.

Following an investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, prosecutors upgraded the initial charge from gross vehicular manslaughter to murder. According to a sheriff’s bail-setting affidavit, Corona was driving at an unsafe speed and entered the intersection on a red signal, broadsiding a vehicle occupied by a family of five. The crash resulted in the death of a 7-year-old girl and injuries to other family members.

Corona is currently being held at the Smith Correctional Facility with bail set at $1 million. A felony settlement conference has been scheduled for October 26 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.