A Hollister man accused of killing one of his sons and seriously injuring another in a drunken driving accident faces a long list of charges in connection with the Feb. 25 collision.
The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office charged Jesus Mora, 30, of Hollister, with charges of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter without malice aforethought, child endangerment, DUI within 10 years of a previous impaired driving offense, and driving while his license was suspended for failing a blood-alcohol test in a previous incident, according to records on file at the San Benito County Courthouse.
He also faces enhancements to these charges for willfully permitting a child to suffer, causing great bodily injury and for driving with a passenger younger than 14, according to court records. These enhancements could add more years to Mora’s sentence on the listed charges, if he is convicted.
The charges are related to the Feb. 25 one-car accident on McCloskey Road, just east of San Felipe Road. California Highway Patrol officers said Mora was driving westbound in a GMC Sierra with his two sons in the front seat, when he drifted off the roadway and collided into a utility pole on the side of the road.
Mora’s younger son, age 6, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, and the other boy, age 7, was flown to a hospital with serious injuries, according to authorities. Officers suspected Mora of driving in a drunken state when they contacted him at the scene of the collision, and arrested the driver.
Court records also indicate the Feb. 25 accident that resulted in Mora’s son’s death was not the first time the adult has been accused of driving in an impaired state. Mora was also already facing a previous misdemeanor DUI charge when he crashed on McCloskey Road, according to court records. That charge—stemming from a Nov. 27, 2017 arrest—also included an enhancement for having a previous DUI within the previous 10 years.
Mora’s attorney, William Pernik, could not be reached for comment.
Mora remains in custody at San Benito County Jail on $1 million bail. His next hearing on both the Feb. 15 and November cases is scheduled for April 10. The court is scheduled to set a date for Mora’s preliminary hearing at that time, according to District Attorney Candice Hooper.
