A San Jose man suspected of driving under the influence when he slammed head-on into another vehicle in Sunnyvale last week, killing the driver, has been charged with murder, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Brian Burke, 34, was allegedly drunk and driving the wrong way when he crashed his Ford F-150 pickup truck into a Jeep Compass, killing a 52-year-old Mountain View woman who was driving home from work, the district attorney’s office said.
The crash happened late Thursday night in the area of Central Expressway and Commercial Street.
“More than 10,000 people die in drunk driving incidents every year in this country,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Not one of them was what I would ever call an accident. Every single one was an avoidable criminal tragedy, and in this case – a murder.”
Burke was arraigned on Monday and held without bail, according to the district attorney’s office. His next court date was set for June 2. He faces prison time if he’s convicted.