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Los Osos woman sentenced to six years for second DUI

January 30, 2023

Gianna Brencola

By KAREN VELIE

A judge sentenced a Los Osos woman to six years in state prison for driving while under the influence of alcohol, her second DUI conviction.

In 2017, Gianna Brencola struck the bicycle of Kennedy Love while driving on Foothill Boulevard near Ferrini Road in San Luis Obispo. Following the collision, Brencola and a female passenger fled the scene while Love’s body was lying in the street. Brencola’s blood alcohol level was .14 about five and a half hours after the collision.

Brencola pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a hit-and-run causing death. San Luis Obispo County Judge Craig Van Rooyen sentenced Brencola to to seven years in prison. She was paroled in Dec. 2019 and discharged from parole in March 2021.

On Oct. 31, 2021, Brencola allegedly struck several parked cars while driving with a blood alcohol level of .32. The six-year sentence is the result of her guilty plea to the charge and admission to having been earlier convicted of vehicular manslaughter.

“Driving drunk again, after already serving a prison term for killing someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, is without excuse,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “Our criminal and victim justice system cannot force rehabilitation because each person must make their own decision to take advantage of the resources that have been provided. We plead with Ms. Brencola to stop her dangerous behavior and to take responsibility for her future by making the necessary choices to change.”


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Breathalyzer interlock device should just be standard equipment on vehicles nowadays.


At the very least, anyone who has had a DUI, should be forced to have an interlock device for 10 years minimum on their vehicle.


5

She will be out in 3 yrs.


12

Not nearly enough time given her history.


19

Addiction is so strong, no excuse ough. Ms. Brencola was given a gift by only serving such a small amount of her seven year sentence for killing someone but appears no lesson was learned. I’m guessing her bad choices have opened up old wounds for the Love family. I have no solution for how to fix addiction but this story is way too common and familiar.


16

If she had not been paroled Kennedy Love would still be alive. Let’s do away with the parole system and have people serve their whole sentences. That would save a lot of grief and money.


-2

I don’t disagree that she should be punished more, but you have things out of order. Her first crime in 2017 resulted in the death of Kennedy Love, so denying her parole would have just avoided the second crime in 2021 when she hit the parked cars.


12

You are correct. However, prior to her manslaughter case, she actually caused a head-on collision which apparently only registered as a “distracted driving” accident. Seems like if the state actually had a penalty for careless driving — she would have had her right to drive taken away long ago.


3

I did read that wrong, but I stand by my belief that we should get rid of the parole system. It’s just to expensive and dangerous.


-1

if killing someone while intoxicated and serving prison time is not your ‘crash and hit bottom moment’ what is? she will get out of prison at age 29 and then what???


12

She is lucky that this is not China because punishment would not be an option for her behavior.


11

You are wrong. Chinese laws actually incentivize drivers to kill pedestrians if they injure them in an accident. Killing a pedestrian means you pay a flat fee, but if you injure a pedestrian, you pay their medical bills for life which is often much more. This is why there are many videos from China of motorists hitting pedestrians by accident but then doubling back to run them over and kill them to avoid paying out more.


3