A Gilroy woman in custody on murder charges after allegedly driving drunk and causing a Jan. 14 car accident that killed her husband and daughter did not enter a plea Thursday, but she will appear in court again later this month, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Stacy Lonnberg, 51, was expected to enter a plea at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, but the hearing has been delayed until 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, District Attorney spokeswoman Lisa McCrary said.
Lonngberg is charged on two counts of murder – her husband, 57-year-old Fred Lonnberg, and daughter, 26-year-old Tiffiny Gillette, died when she rolled the family’s pickup on Highway 85 in Los Gatos, the California Highway Patrol said.
Originally charged with manslaughter, Lonnberg bailed out of jail four days after the wreck but was re-arrested after the District Attorney’s office upped the charges to murder Jan. 25.
Lonnberg’s blood-alcohol content was 0.16 – twice the legal limit – according to a source with knowledge of the case. Officers who responded to the crash reported she smelled strongly of alcohol, and that she admitted she had been drinking, the CHP said.
Lonnberg also has been charged with child endangerment, as her 3-year-old grandson was in the pickup at the time of the wreck, according to the District Attorney’s office.
