Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced for Murder in Crash That Killed Teen

Published on May 15, 2025

Today, Michael Anthony Mendoza (28, of Fresno) was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison for murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The sentence follows Mendoza’s guilty plea entered on April 17, 2025. The Honorable Gabriel Brickey of the Fresno County Superior Court imposed the sentence.

On the evening of March 18, 2022, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Mendoza was driving a Chevy Tahoe northbound on Marks Avenue when he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Jensen Avenue. He collided at full speed with a GMC Yukon driven by Sarahi Ramirez-Rodriguez, a 17-year-old Fresno resident. Ramirez-Rodriguez, who had the right-of-way and no stop sign, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead later that evening at a local hospital. Multiple members of her family were present in court for today’s sentencing.

Officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to the scene and observed clear signs of intoxication. Witnesses reported Mendoza had been driving erratically and at high speeds before the crash. Toxicology tests later revealed Mendoza had marijuana in his system and a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .19%—more than twice the legal limit.

At the time of the crash, Mendoza was on probation for a 2019 DUI conviction. As part of his probation, he was prohibited from driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in his system. He had also been explicitly warned by the court that driving under the influence posed a danger to human life and that if he killed someone while impaired, he could be charged with murder.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office extends its gratitude to the California Highway Patrol for their thorough investigation and continued commitment to keeping impaired drivers off our roads.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Steven Ueltzen, with assistance from Senior District Attorney Investigator Braden McFarland. The prosecution was handled through the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program, funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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