A mother from Durango who pleaded guilty to charges related to a crash that left her 8-year-old daughter dead has been sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation.
The victim’s father, Douglas Martinez, wrote in a court testimony that the sentencing highlights Neysha Candelaria’s “long history of failing to protect her children.”
Five children were in the car with the 33-year-old Candelaria when she hit a patch of snow and ice last winter, causing her car to cross the centerline and strike an oncoming vehicle. Authorities say none of the children were wearing seatbelts. She was charged with careless driving causing injury and careless driving resulting in death.
Candelaria will be granted furloughs for therapy sessions with her children and can be considered for work release if she finds a job.
