LOS ANGELES _ A California teen accused of driving drunk as she livestreamed a crash that killed her younger sister was previously convicted of reckless driving, officials say.
The offense occurred in 2013 when Obdulia Sanchez was 14 and driving without a license, said Jessica Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The conviction resulted in two "negligent operator" points on her driving record, she said.
Sanchez, now 18, was driving with a valid California license at the time of the fatal crash, which was recorded on Instagram Live on Friday.
The Stockton resident filmed herself behind the wheel of a 2003 Buick as her 14-year-old sister, Jacqueline Sanchez, and a second 14-year-old girl sat in the back seat.
The alarming video that has been widely circulated online captured the moment when Sanchez lost control of her vehicle and crashed.
Moments later, she showed the body of her sister and says "I ... killed my sister, OK. I know I am going to jail for life, all right?" Sanchez said. "This is last thing that I wanted to happen, OK?"
The California Highway Patrol said Sanchez was driving north of Los Banos when she swerved off the road and over-corrected her turn. She then veered across the road and crashed into a wire fence and her car rolled into a field.
The two girls in the rear seat, who were not wearing seat belts, were ejected from the vehicle, the CHP said.
Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving, according to Merced County Sheriff's Office jail records. She remained in custody Wednesday on $300,000 bail.
The Merced County district attorney has yet to file charges against her, but a spokeswoman said Sanchez could appear in court on Wednesday.
Manuela Seja, the surviving passenger, suffered major trauma to her right leg, authorities said. The girl told KFSN-TV that she and Jacqueline Sanchez were dating. That day, Obdulia Sanchez and Jacqueline Sanchez had driven from Stockton and picked her up at her home in Fresno.
Manuela told KSEE24-TV she is not mad and doesn't blame anybody for the crash.
"It's all affected by social media, and that's what life is now and it's going to advance more and more. That's what it's all going to be about," she said.
Mary Hernandez was one of the first people to spot the Instagram Live video, which can be shared for up to 24 hours before it disappears. The 25-year-old Stockton resident told The Times she quickly recorded the video, saved it and shared it on Facebook before it vanished.
"It was just so wild," she said. "I couldn't believe that was on her social media."
Moments before the crash, Sanchez had recorded another short video taken while she was driving on city streets with her sister, said Hernandez, who saved a copy of that video as well. The video showed Sanchez's car coming perilously close to hitting a minivan that turned left in front of her. As music played, her sister, who was in the front passenger's seat, could be heard yelling and moving her hands dramatically.
Days after the crash, the siblings' father, Nicandro Sanchez, told KFSN-TV that his eldest daughter was confused and distraught.
"It was an accident. It happened that way. Who knows why?" he told the television news station.
The sisters' cousin, Francisco Sanchez, said the video was "an eye-opener."
"It's disturbing to see those images," the 35-year-old Stockton resident said.
He said Obdulia Sanchez was "always out and about."
"She was kind of disconnected," the sisters' cousin said.
Obdulia Sanchez is the oldest of four siblings, and Jacqueline was the middle child. Jacqueline was a quiet teenager and "played a big-sister role in the family," he said.
"Jackie was just a sweetheart, quiet and never disrespected anybody," Francisco Sanchez said. "She is a real loss to the family. She is a real loss to my aunt and uncle."
Relatives created a GoFundMe page to help pay for Jacqueline's funeral expenses.
