Man sentenced after pleading guilty to murder in deadly DUI crash in Indio

A 37-year-old man pleaded guilty to a murder charge for driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed a man in Indio last year.

Alexander Frank Ortega also entered guilty pleas Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or more causing bodily injury, case records show.

Ortega was sentenced by Judge Melissa Hale to a term of 15 years to 15 years to life, according to John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney's office.

Officers responded at 9:45 p.m. Dec. 19, 2023, to a report of a traffic collision on Indio Springs Parkway east of Golf Center Parkway, Indio Police Department spokesperson Ben Guitron told City News Service.

A white GMC pickup was being driven west on Indio Springs Parkway when it crossed lanes and went against traffic, Guitron said. The truck then struck a white Saturn sedan, which was occupied by a man and a female passenger.

"When they collided it was a pretty serious accident,'' Guitron said. "The occupants of the Saturn had to be extracted by Indio Fire, Cal Fire and then they were transported by ambulance to the hospital.''

The man died at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, according to the Riverside County coroner's office. He was identified as 53-year-old Indio resident Martin Gutierrez.

It was unclear what level of injuries the passenger sustained.   

Ortega was subsequently booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remained held on $2 million bail, according to inmate records.

According to court records, he pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol at a level of 0.08% or more.