A 64-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in prison for a drug-fueled collision that killed a 12-year-old boy crossing a Costa Mesa street on his bike.
Richard David Lavalle of Long Beach was convicted May 15 of second-degree murder in the Dec. 6, 2020 fatal collision with Noel Bascon at Junipero and Arlington drives.
Lavalle’s sentence was doubled because of his past criminal history. He has credit for 1,735 days behind bars so far.
Lavalle’s attorney, Jennifer Ryan of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, noted in her request to not apply her client’s prior strikes that in his 2009 armed robbery conviction he was not armed. She said another robbery in 2018 took place in a Target store in Cerritos.
“The current case was a horrible accident about which Mr. LaVall