‘The loss of human life is tragic.’ DA’s Office speaks out against social media firestorm over DUI case

A firestorm on social media over a woman involved in a fatal drunk driving collision spurred a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

The social media posts, which gained popularity on Twitter and TikTok, alleged a Sacramento County woman — identified as Lindsay Richardson — received a light sentence for driving drunk and striking a man, Julian Solis, walking alongside the road, killing him. The court sentenced Richardson to 180 days in jail and five years probation for vehicular manslaughter, while the District Attorney’s Office tried to secure a sentence of four years in prison, according to the release.

The social media backlash across several platforms argued Richardson received a lighter sentence because of her white skin color.

Richardson pleaded guilty to the vehicular manslaughter of Solis in January, according to court records.

“Privilege is definitely real,” one commenter said on Reddit post with a photo that allegedly showed Richardson wearing a Trump 2020 hat. The woman’s face in the photo is obscured.

“The District Attorney’s Office has received numerous inquiries based upon false and misleading information which has been shared on various social media platforms, including TikTok and Twitter, regarding the outcome of a criminal case, the People of the State of California vs. Lindsay Richardson,” the release said. “Our ethical obligation as representatives of the People require us to correct this misinformation.”

Commenters on Reddit and Twitter posts expressed frustration and outrage at Richardson’s sentence and made attempts to dox her identity by publishing the name of her workplace and addresses of her family members.

Richardson has not yet served her 180-day sentence in jail because of COVID-19 restrictions at Sacramento County Main Jail.

“The loss of human life is tragic,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “We share in the concern that the sentence in this matter was less than what the crime called for under the facts of this case. However, the District Attorney’s Office consistently sought the maximum term in prison for this crime in this matter. The sentence that was imposed, which was less than the maximum term the District Attorney’s Office was seeking, was the court’s assessment of the appropriate sentence in this case.”