Twice-convicted DUI driver accused of murder in Riverside County crash

A woman with two previous convictions for driving under the influence was arrested on suspicion of murder after a fatal Riverside County crash this week.

Erica Pearl Machuca, 33, of Hemet, also was accused of causing injury while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.08 or higher, police say.

She was being held at a Banning jail in lieu of $1 million bail and had not been charged as of Wednesday.

The two-car crash just after 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, in Wildomar killed Debra Amicay, 56, of Murrieta, who was a passenger in one of the cars. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department would not say in whose car Amicay was riding, citing the ongoing investigation.

The other driver was hospitalized in critical condition.

In a 2012 agreement with prosecutors, Machuca pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher. A court document lists her BAC at 0.12. She was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $1,664 in penalties as well as complete a first-time DUI offender’s program, said Molly Smith, a district attorney’s spokeswoman.

And in 2022, Machuca pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, a court document shows. The plea deal included three years of probation, $1,703 in fines and another DUI offender’s program.

She completed both counseling programs, court records show. Her probation ended in July 2025.

Machuca could be charged with second-degree murder. DUI offenders in California are given the so-called Watson advisement in which they sign a document that states they understand they could be charged with murder if they drive while impaired again and kill someone. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 15 years to life in state prison.