Man charged with DUI manslaughter after woman killed on Palmetto Expressway

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Tuesday on DUI charges after a June 2016 crash in which a woman died.

Leonardo Morciego, 56, is accused of driving drunk the evening of June 19, 2016, and crashing his BMW 328i on the Palmetto Expressway near Northwest 57th Avenue.

According to an arrest warrant, Morciego was speeding in the westbound lanes of the highway when he struck two vehicles on the inside shoulder of the Palmetto.

Police said one of the vehicles struck a Nissan Altima and then struck two pedestrians who were pulled over on the inside median.

One of the pedestrians, Rachel Foster, 24, was killed and the other victim, Yovhanis Roque, 24, was seriously injured.

Roque was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

Police said Morciego was treated at the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Authorities said he was slurring his speech and struggling to maintain his balance while leaning against the guardrail of the outside shoulder.

Police said Morciego fell asleep and vomited twice in the fire rescue truck.

Morciego withdrew his consent to a blood test after blood was already taken, so authorities prepared an affidavit for a search warrant to acquire two blood samples, the warrant said.

The warrant was signed by a judge the next day and blood was taken for a second time.

The first test showed that Morciego had a blood-alcohol level of .199 percent. The second blood test showed that he had a blood-alcohol level of .162 percent.

According to the warrant, there were no skid marks or any evidence that Morciego tried to slow down before the fatal crash.

He was arrested on charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI causing seriously bodily injury, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and DUI causing property damage.