86-year-old man sentenced to 15 years to life for fatal DUI hit-and-run

An 86-year-old man convicted of killing one pedestrian and injuring another while driving drunk in Palm Springs was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison today.

On Sept. 1, an Indio jury convicted Palm Springs resident Leroy Silva of murder, DUI causing bodily injury, DUI causing bodily injury with a blood-alcohol level of more than .08%, two counts of hit-and-run resulting in death or injury and sentence-enhancing allegations of causing great bodily injury.

The charges stemmed from the July 2019 death of Lemon Grove resident Connie Clark and the injuring of another woman, both 67.

On Friday, Silva was sentenced at the Larson Justice Center in Indio by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dale Wells.

Silva was originally charged with two counts each of hit-and-run and driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Prosecutors later amended the charges to include murder on Aug. 9, 2019, after Clark died from her injuries. Silva was driving a black sedan shortly before 8 p.m. July 27, 2019, when he hit the women as they crossed Calle Encilia outside the Agua Caliente Casino.

He was arrested about 40 minutes later, roughly a mile from the scene.