A 19-year-old man named Ricardo Vazquez-Gongora has been sentenced to 15 years to life after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Edward Foster, a Navy sailor, in a carjacking incident in Coronado, as reported by San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Last year, Vazquez-Gongora, then 18, stole Foster's car and crashed into a toll booth on the Coronado Bridge with Foster desperately clinging to the hood, trying to stop him—this resulted in Foster being gravely injured.
The tragic turn of events took place on June 11, Vazquez-Gongora attempted to take the car while Foster, a father of four who also worked as an Amazon package delivery driver, was making a delivery, as disclosed in a statement obtained by NBC San Diego; after the carjacking, Foster attempted to stop Vazquez-Gongora by jumping on the vehicle's hood but was thrown off before the crash, he called 911 during the ordeal, telling dispatchers to track his car and stating, "he was going to be killed."
San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Popkins delivered Vazquez-Gongora's stipulated sentence, with District Attorney Summer Stephan remarking via NBC San Diego, “The victim in this case, who was a father working to support his family, tragically lost his life due to a set of circumstances set in motion by this defendant’s utter disregard for human life,” hoping that "the resolution of this case brings a measure of justice and closure to the victim’s family."
Following the accident, Foster was left unresponsive on the ground and later died after being taken off life support. The prosecutors, Deputy District Attorneys Makenzie Harvey and Donald McCann, pursued the case diligently. Vazquez-Gongora fled the scene and was found hiding in the bushes near the Coronado golf course. He had drugs and alcohol in his system during the carjacking. After Foster's death, he was recognized for his final act of kindness as his organs were donated, fulfilling his longstanding wish to save lives even in death. Foster managed to touch the lives of others, as Foster's brother, Lyle Durkin, told NBC San Diego, "He will be here with us, and he'll live through other people. He always wanted to touch other people's lives, and he can do that."
