Ventura County Superior Court Judge Paul Feldman sentenced the driver convicted of killing a woman and her granddaughter in a 2020 crash to 30 years to life Tuesday.

Feldman chose the maximum sentence for Jacob Anthony Caliboso, 25, who was convicted by jurors in May of two counts of second-degree murder in a collision that killed Camarillo resident Elva Andrade, 55, and her granddaughter Nevaeh Gomez, 7, of Oxnard.

During the nearly two-hour sentencing hearing, emotions ran high as eight family members delivered victim impact statements.

Among them was Andrea Jimenez, Nevaeh’s mother and Andrade’s daughter.

“Jacob killed my mother instantly and left my daughter to suffer,” Jimenez told the judge.

She wished she could tell her daughter one more time she loved her and give her a hug, Jimenez said.

“Her life was cut way too short. She was an innocent child,” the mother said, later adding the deaths have left her with nightmares and constant worry.

Many family members cried as they spoke. Sniffles could also be heard among families and friends of the victims and the defendant, who were seated on opposite sides of the packed courtroom.

The girl’s paternal grandmother, Veronica Rucobo, told the court Nevaeh was her only grandchild.

“We’re not going to hear her laughter,” the grandmother said. “There will be no elementary school graduations. We’re robbed of those moments.”

The last video of Andrade and Nevaeh together was shown during the victim statements. They were walking on a beach.

Some relatives criticized Caliboso for showing no remorse and having reckless disregard for others’ lives by driving under the influence hundreds of times.

Most of those reading impact statements said they could not forgive the defendant.

Caliboso’s attorney sought shorter sentence

Caliboso sat quietly next to his attorney, Ron Bamieh, as the statements were read. He read a statement expressing his remorse for the two deaths and the pain caused to the family.

Bamieh argued for 15 years to life instead of 30 years, saying Caliboso suffered from depression, addiction and immaturity but was not evil.

It wasn’t enough to convince the judge.

“I don’t think he fully grasped what he did,” Feldman said.

Feldman cited Caliboso’s long history of driving under the influence, misconduct during incarceration and the cost of two lives when delivering the decades-long sentence.

“I can’t imagine what the family has gone through with the loss of a grandmother and a 7-year-old,” the judge said.

Caliboso was driving under the influence of Xanax, a sedative, and marijuana around 9:15 p.m. on June 22, 2020, prosecutors said, when he crossed the center line of Pleasant Valley Road near Laguna Road outside Oxnard. His Acura sedan hit an oncoming scooter head-on.

Andrade had been riding the Yamaha scooter with Nevaeh on back. Both wore helmets. Andrade died at the scene, and Nevaeh died the following day at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Jail misconduct

Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Leija cited Caliboso’s frequent driving under the influence and his continued misconduct during incarceration in calling for the maximum sentence. She told the judge Caliboso tried to flee from the scene of the crash and focused more on hiding a backpack of drugs than helping Nevaeh.

Bamieh later denied Caliboso was trying to flee the scene.

Nineteen days after a jury convicted Caliboso, he was caught getting an opiate, suboxone, from another inmate at the Todd Road Jail outside Santa Paula, Leija said. She noted Caliboso broke other jail rules, including possession of an altered razor blade.

After the hearing, Leija said she was pleased with the sentence, saying it sent a message to local residents about driving under the influence.

“There will be serious consequences for you,” Leija said.

Jimenez, the girl’s mother, called the sentence a victory.

“It doesn’t bring my mother and daughter back, but it brings some kind of peace,” she said.

A restitution hearing is set for the morning of July 9 in Feldman’s courtroom. Restitution of about $32,000 is being sought to reimburse Jimenez for funeral costs and for family travel expenses to the Ventura courtroom during the trial, Leija said.

That doesn’t include any restitution claims family members are making to the California Victim Compensation Board, she said.

Caliboso was returned to the Todd Road Jail facility after the hearing and will eventually be transported to Wasco State Prison.

Dave Mason covers the East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man sentenced in Oxnard crash that killed girl, grandmother