Napa mom accused of killing kids in DUI crash enters plea

(KRON) — A mother who is accused of killing her children in a DUI crash appeared in court this week and pleaded not guilty, court records show.

The mother, 31-year-old Yesica Barajas of Napa, remains in jail without bail six months after the deadly collision, jail inmate records show. Napa County prosecutors charged Barajas in July with murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, child abuse, and driving under the influence.

On March 16 at 7:30 a.m., Aaliyah Montanez, 9, and her brother, 10-year-old Damian Montanez, suffered fatal injuries when their mother’s car crashed along Highway 29.

The siblings died in the backseat of Barajas’ mangled vehicle while the mother was trapped in the driver’s seat, according to California Highway Patrol investigators. Barajas recovered from her injuries.

Barajas admitted to CHP officers that she drank alcohol at home on the morning of March 16 before driving, court documents state. Barajas also admitted to using marijuana daily to calm her nerves, court documents state.

CHP officers at the crash scene said they could smell marijuana and found a vape pen with marijuana cartridges in the car.

In April, a Napa County Superior Court judge denied the mother’s request to be briefly released from jail so that she could attend a funeral for her daughter and son.

The siblings went to school in the Napa Valley Unified School District. Damian and Aaliyah’s mother and father were previously involved in a child custody battle through family courts. Leading up to the tragedy, Barajas had full legal custody of her two children, court records show.

Barajas is scheduled to return to court on October 2.

There have been multiple suspected DUI collisions in Napa County that resulted in fatalities this year.

In September, seven farmworkers were passengers inside a Toyota Sienna minivan when the van crashed into a tree on Pope Valley Road. Six farmworkers were killed, while one passenger and the driver survived. The van driver, Norberto Celerino, 53, of Stockton, was drunk behind the wheel and he was charged with murder, according to prosecutors and the CHP.

In July, a 10-year-old boy was killed in a suspected DUI crash and his father was charged with murder.

Aaron Brian Kennedy, 35, of Angwin, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he crashed with a second vehicle in St. Helena, prosecutors said. His son, Aiden, was sitting in a passenger seat and suffered fatal injuries.

Kennedy and Celerino both have prior DUI convictions, according to prosecutors.