Lizbeth Torres was 19 at the time of her passing. Photo courtesy of the Butte County District Attorney’s Office

BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) - In an emotional court hearing Jan. 16, a Humboldt County woman was sentenced to 11 years and four months in state prison for her collision with a college student on Highway 99 in 2023.

Sierra Lee Miguel, 32, of Arcata, was sentenced to the maximum term by Butte County Superior Court Judge Virginia Gingery following Miguel’s earlier no-contest plea to gross vehicular manslaughter for killing Lizbeth Torres, 19, while driving under the influence of methamphetamine. Miguel was also sentenced on a count of child endangerment as she had her four-month-old son in her vehicle at the time of the collision.

Miguel’s attorney had asked the judge to place Miguel on probation or in the alternative give her a low prison sentence of four years. However, the judge rejected the request after hearing emotional pleas from Torres’ mother, twin sister and former boyfriend for “justice.” They noted Lizbeth Torres was attending Chico State University majoring in criminal justice with aspirations of a career in law enforcement.

Prosecutors also argued Miguel should receive the maximum term permitted under the law due to the egregious nature of the crime and her long history of crimes, including robbery, theft, fraud and substance abuse.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the current charges stemmed from a Sept. 30, 2023, fatal collision on Hwy. 99 near the Thermalito Afterbay at approximately 11 a.m. Witnesses observed Miguel driving northbound and swerving to the right of the road then back into oncoming traffic. Two vehicles driving southbound ahead of Torres swerved out of the way but Torres did not have enough time to swerve before Miguel collided head-on with Torres’ vehicle. Torres died on impact. Miguel’s vehicle rolled over and caught on fire with Miguel’s four-month-old baby in her vehicle. A passerby extinguished the fire while another rescued the baby from the vehicle.

The baby was miraculously uninjured because he was strapped in a car seat. Miguel was severely injured and spent a month in the hospital.

Forensic evidence established Miguel was driving with a high amount of methamphetamine in her system at the time of the collision and she never applied her brakes before the collision.