Section 191.5 Of Chapter 1. Homicide From California Penal Code >> Title 8. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 1.
191.5
. (a) Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the
unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the
driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section
23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was
either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not
amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate
result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in
an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence.
(b) Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful
killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving
of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140,
23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the
proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting
to a felony, but without gross negligence, or the proximate result of
the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an
unlawful manner, but without gross negligence.
(c) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (d), gross vehicular
manslaughter while intoxicated in violation of subdivision (a) is
punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 4, 6, or 10 years.
(2) Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in violation of
subdivision (b) is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for
not more than one year or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h)
of Section 1170 for 16 months or two or four years.
(d) A person convicted of violating subdivision (a) who has one or
more prior convictions of this section or of paragraph (1) of
subdivision (c) of Section 192, subdivision (a) or (b) of Section
192.5 of this code, or of violating Section 23152 punishable under
Sections 23540, 23542, 23546, 23548, 23550, or 23552 of, or convicted
of Section 23153 of, the Vehicle Code, shall be punished by
imprisonment in the state prison for a term of 15 years to life.
Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 2930) of Chapter 7 of Title 1 of
Part 3 shall apply to reduce the term imposed pursuant to this
subdivision.
(e) This section shall not be construed as prohibiting or
precluding a charge of murder under Section 188 upon facts exhibiting
wantonness and a conscious disregard for life to support a finding
of implied malice, or upon facts showing malice consistent with the
holding of the California Supreme Court in People v. Watson, 30 Cal.
3d 290.
(f) This section shall not be construed as making any homicide in
the driving of a vehicle or the operation of a vessel punishable
which is not a proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act,
not amounting to felony, or of the commission of a lawful act which
might produce death, in an unlawful manner.
(g) For the penalties in subdivision (d) to apply, the existence
of any fact required under subdivision (d) shall be alleged in the
information or indictment and either admitted by the defendant in
open court or found to be true by the trier of fact.