ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man convicted of driving drunk when he crashed into a rental car, killing a 2-year-old girl, was back in court for his sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
John Molnar was arrested after that accident three years ago in Orange County. He was supposed to be sentenced in June, but the defense asked for a presentence investigation.
Molnar is facing 26 years in prison for the death of 2-year-old Isabella Zepka-Manzanilla, who was on her way to Disney World when he crashed into the car she was riding in.
Molnar pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter.
Investigators said he was drunk and high on cocaine when the fatal crash happened in 2009.
Isabella's mother took the stand with and gave emotional testimony.
"How I could have my family when I lost part of my life? I was completely lost. How I will come back to North Carolina without her?" said Elizabeth Manzanilla.
In June, prosecutors asked a judge to sentence Molnar to the maximum under the law, which is 26 years in prison.
But the defense asked for a presentence investigation, so Manzanilli's family and friends have been waiting since June to face Molnar again.
But Molnar doesn't want to spend any time in prison. He wants to stay out and warn people not to do what he did.
Molnar looked tense as he listened to loved ones of Isabella described their heartbreak to the judge.
"When you do something wrong, you take responsibility for it," said Isabella's cousin, Adrianna Rivas.
"I remember when the doctor disconnected Isabella from the machine, and after that we needed to leave the hospital, take, taking all her clothes and toys. I saw her lying in the bed, and I ask by myself, 'Who will take care of her?' " said Elizabeth Manzanilla.
Her 12-year-old son Alexander suffered a fractured skull, which has caused possibly permanent injury.
He testified, and so did Isabella's father.
"Instead of Isabella having the opportunity to see the princess in Disney World, she was connected to a breathing machine. Instead, we were sharing unforgettable moments together; we were holding each other on our knees and praying. Why's this thing that happened to us? Why?" said family member Sirene Manzanilla.
The defense called Molnar's counselor, who said he was a broken man after the deadly crash, his new priest, and his brother to ask the judge for mercy.
"One might make the case that John made a conscious decision to drive the car that fateful night, but the fact is my brother did not make that decision on his own. The decision was aided by substance and sickness," said Molnar's brother, Roger Molnar.
John Molnar has had to sober up as a condition of his bond, but this is his second DUI case.
Molnar said nothing as he left his sentencing hearing on Wednesday with his wife.
The sentencing will continue in two and a half months.
Isabella's family will travel from Venezuela again, by train, because since she was killed, her brother and sister are afraid to get in a car or an airplane.
WFTV
