Brooklyn Broadway is headed to state prison for four years after pleading guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run in the 2023 death of her former landlord, Angelica "Gel" Wuerth. Prosecutors say Broadway and her husband drove off while Wuerth was clinging to the hood of their minivan, sending her into the roadway; she died the next day. The case drew widespread attention for its cellphone video, shifting charges, and a courtroom tug-of-war over whether Broadway should be diverted into a behavioral health program instead of facing a standard sentence.
The confrontation started on Nov. 10, 2023, following an argument near a Jamul Avenue residence. Police later found Wuerth lying in the street near Imperial Avenue and 45th Street, and she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead the following day, according to reporting by Times of San Diego and City News Service coverage carried by 10News. Surveillance and cellphone clips captured parts of the encounter, authorities said, and both Broadway and her husband were arrested days later.
Broadway entered her guilty plea in January to gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run causing death. On Friday, Judge Dwayne Moring handed down a four-year state prison term, according to reporting by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Deputy District Attorney Malak Behrouznami told the paper the office had been "fighting for justice every step of the way," and District Attorney Summer Stephan said she was proud of the prosecution’s work. The paper also reports that murder charges against Broadway’s husband were dismissed after a two-day preliminary hearing earlier in the case.
Appeals Court Orders Behavioral Health Judge Off Case
The legal battle did not stop at the criminal charges. A separate fight broke out over whether Broadway could even be screened for the county’s Behavioral Health Court. In a published opinion this year, the Court of Appeal held that the judge assigned to Behavioral Health Court could be peremptorily challenged and ordered the trial court to grant the district attorney’s challenge, finding that BHC screening can involve contested issues of fact and law, as stated in the opinion posted on FindLaw.
Defense Pushes Mental Health, But Court Says No
Prosecutors had opposed Broadway’s attempt to enter Behavioral Health Court and pursued the issue through the appellate courts. A different judge ultimately ruled last month that Broadway was not a suitable candidate for the program, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Broadway’s attorney, Brandon Naidu, told the paper that his client’s mental health, including a diagnosis of a severe form of PTSD, was central to both plea negotiations and the sentencing hearing. With the prison term now imposed, Broadway will be transferred into the state system, while her lawyers weigh possible further challenges to the procedural rulings and Wuerth’s family continues to seek answers about the confrontation that turned deadly.
