Suspect charged with drunken driving in crash that killed an 8-year-old girl and a man in Atwater

ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) — An accused drunk driver in the North Valley now faces murder charges more than a year after a fatal crash.

“I literally have to walk past her bedroom every day because her bedroom is next to mine. It's super quiet in my house because she's not there. Their absence is shorter every day,” said Ruby Roy, who lost her only child in the crash.

The grieving mother lives just a block from where a suspected drunk driver took the life of her 8-year-old daughter, Caloni Roy.

She is reminded of the tragic night every day.

“Her blood was still on the corner for a long time. I even went there like a month ago and there was still dry blood on the same corner where she died, that's a horrible memory to remember,” Ruby explained.

Last August, two cars collided in front of Green Sands and Buhach in Atwater, killing both Caloni and 26-year-old Joshua Hitto.

Joshua's sister and Ruby were also hospitalized.

But a cause and a culprit were still in question.

Now, over a year later, the Atwater Police Department's intensive investigation has brought 25-year-old Raul Covarrubias of Los Banos into custody.

Atwater Police Chief Michael Salvador said one of the biggest challenges was identifying the driver of the at-fault car, which led to a setback for the arrest.

“I believe there was a question about that identity at the time of the incident. So we investigated that we were able to get enough evidence that he is now the driver,” said Chief Salvador.

The defendant, obtained by Action News, states that Covarrubias had a blood alcohol level of 0.8 or higher at the time of the accident, meaning he was over the legal limit for driving.

Hours of manpower were invested in what Chief Salvador said was a complex case.

His department had to enlist help from outside agencies, including the DOJ, CHP and Los Banos PD.

“We have to do a lot of things that you might see in a physics course at a university. And the reconstruction of the crash determines travel directions and speeds. All of these things are all part of a crash investigation,” Chief Salvador said.

While she is grateful for the arrest, Ruby says she is upset that the suspect was allowed to walk free for more than a year.

Nothing can bring Caloni back, but Ruby hopes she gets justice soon.

“This should never be taken lightly. I believe this person deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Ruby said.

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