A drunk driver who killed four family members while evading police has been sentenced to 55 years behind bars.
Forty-year-old Valerie Andrews was being chased by police in the city's Southside in August of 2010 for driving erratically and passing a red light. During the pursuit, she ran a stop sign at Lorita and South Flores and slammed into a car driven by 21-year-old Marcela Perez.
The crash killed Perez, her 55-year-old mother, 15-year-old Alejandra Perez and 4-month-old Brian Perez.
Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed told 550 KTSA News that Andrews was indicted on four counts of felony murder because the deaths occured while she was evading arrest.
"When we have an incident like this, we are going to seek the highest charge we can because we are taking this very, very seriously," said Reed.
Judge Melisa Skinner also made a finding that a deadly weapon was used, meaning that Andrews will have to serve at least half of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
"When you're operating a vehicle and you're drunk, you are turning that into a deadly weapon. You've got thousands of pounds of steel that you're guiding down a highway," said Reed.
