A 41-year-old attorney was convicted Tuesday of striking and killing a bicyclist in Mission Viejo last year while driving under the influence of prescription drugs.
Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti of Rancho Santa Margarita pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on March 15, 2013 on Santa Margarita Parkway south of El Toro Road, near Trabuco Hills High School, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Fakhrai-Bayrooti was driving southbound when she veered into the bike lane, striking Eric Billings, the release stated.
The impact sent the 54-year-old bicyclist over the hood and windshield of the car, according to the release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time of the crash, Fakhrai-Bayrooti was under the influence of prescription drugs, including Xanax and Suboxone, according to the DA’s Office.
Fakhrai-Bayrooti was free on $100,000 bail and was scheduled to be sentenced May 8.
She faced a maximum sentence of four years in state prison.
