Law Professor Guilty of Vehicular Manslaughter
UCLA law professor Daniel Jay Bussel was convicted of vehicular manslaughter Friday, nearly a year after he struck two pedestrians in a Van Nuys crosswalk, killing one.
Bussel, 40, the husband of Los Angeles Police Commissioner Raquelle de la Rocha, faces a maximum sentence of one year in County Jail, a one-year revocation of his driver’s license and a $1,000 fine. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth A. Lippitt in Van Nuys scheduled sentencing for Monday.
Bussel, a bankruptcy law specialist, was turning right onto Fulton Avenue last March when he hit Betty Brown, 73, and Juan Huerta, 29, both of Van Nuys, as they crossed Hillview Park Avenue, police said. Brown died the next day.
Bussel, testifying on his own behalf said he did not see the pedestrians until he had hit them, and insisted that he had come to a complete stop.
The jury deliberated for about two hours.
Brown’s family has settled a wrongful-death suit against Bussel. The complaint sought reimbursement for medical and funeral expenses and other costs.
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