Dominick Cinciripini reached for the hand of his daughter Rosa as Judge Bill Dimas began arraignments in Santa Fe Magistrate Court on Thursday. The two had come to see the man accused of killing their wife and mother.

Through a courtroom video hookup, Dimas advised Tim Solano, 35, of his rights, the charges against him and the possible punishment if he's convicted of vehicular homicide and failing to keep his car in a single traffic lane.

The Santa Fe man stands accused of killing Judith Scasserra-Cinciripini, 58, of Santa Fe. Authorities allege that Solano was drunk Wednesday night and struck Scasserra-Cinciripini with his pickup head-on as she rode her bicycle north on Old Santa Fe Trail. Scasserra-Cinciripini died instantly. At the time, deputies were responding to several reports of a swerving driver on that stretch of road.

"She was destroyed in a head-on collision by a totally drunk person at three times the allowance going out of his lane," Dominick Cinciripini said after the hearing. "Her body is so broken up, they wouldn't even let me look at it."

The sheriff's department says Solano later took two breath tests that revealed a blood-alcohol concentration of .24 and .25 -- at least three times the legal limit of .08.

If convicted, Solano could face up to three years in state prison. He could also be sentenced to an additional four years in prison for each of his driving-while-intoxicated convictions during the past 10 years and pay up to a $5,000 fine, Dimas said. Solano has at least three DWI convictions, according to state records.

While Solano listened, Cinciripini, his daughter and her boyfriend, Thomas Maestas, stood and wept. And though Solano could not see the family, the three cut a striking image in the courtroom.

Dominick Cinciripini, in a blue denim shirt and blue jeans, held his face in his hands as his chest convulsed with sobs. Daughter Rosa, 26, stood with a clenched jaw and reddened eyelids.

Per court regulations, a plea of not guilty was filed on Solano's behalf Thursday. Dimas set his bail at $500,000 cash only. The whole process was over in a matter of minutes.

"I just want to say my mother is wonderful, and we are all suffering from her loss," said Rosa Cinciripini in prepared remarks after the arraignment. "We are very grieved from this brutal, devastating killing that has occurred with countless thousands of others."

Rosa Cinciripini criticized lawmakers, saying she was "enraged that the Legislature and local lawmakers continue to do nothing about drunk driving in New Mexico. All we ask is for additional legislation to make sure her death is not in vain."

The family took few questions Thursday and have yet to contact a second daughter, Rosa Cinciripini's twin, who is on a cruise. Dominick Cinciripini said he doesn't want to give his other daughter the news of her mother's death while she is at sea.

Those who knew Scasserra-Cinciripini were taking her death hard. James Brooks, acting president of the School of American Research, where Scasserra-Cinciripini worked as the academic-programs assistant, said employees there are saddened and are looking for a way to honor her memory. One suggestion officials at the research center are looking into is holding DWI forums in her name, Brooks said.

Dominick Cinciripini called his wife a "wonderful, beautiful, amazing mother" Thursday and said they had married in 1972. He said cycling was one of her favorite activities and a reward after long days of work.

"She was in the prime of her life," he said.

Solano's arrest Wednesday night marked the seventh time he has been arrested on charges related to drunken driving, going back to 1988, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department news release. The sheriff's department was unable to confirm how many of the arrests resulted in conviction. An online database of New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division records indicate Solano has been convicted at least three times.

In 1999, Solano was arrested on charges of accident involving death or personal injury, great bodily injury and not giving immediate notice of an accident. However, no one was killed in the 1999 crash, said Shari Weinstein, chief deputy district attorney for Santa Fe.

A state police investigation into the accident, Weinstein said, revealed Solano had crashed into a woman on Old Las Vegas Highway and U.S. 285, causing an injury to the woman's back and foot. Solano fled the scene and was later arrested at the address at which his car was registered, Weinstein said, referring to the report.

The report, Weinstein said, indicated Solano blew a .21 and .22 on an alcohol breath test.

The case was reviewed, and the district attorney's office determined the injuries sustained in the accident did not meet the requirements set out in the law to sustain a charge of accident involving death, personal injury or great bodily injury -- which are part of the same statute -- Weinstein said.

Charges related to the crash were later re-filed in Magistrate Court. According to Weinstein and court records, Solano pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated DWI, his third drunken-driving conviction. He was sentenced to

90 days in jail, fined $750, ordered to pay court fees and given probation, Weinstein said.

I want to read and/or post comments on this story

(87 comments; last comment posted August 6, 2005 10:52 am)