A 29-year-old Inver Grove Heights woman pleaded guilty on Monday in Dakota County District Court to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with an accident that killed her passenger the morning of Sept. 12, 2010.
Inver Grove woman pleads guilty in crash that killed friend
Cassandra D. Balsimo will be sentenced Feb. 21 by Judge Richard Spicer.
According to the criminal complaint, Balsimo had a blood-alcohol content of 0.18 percent, more than double the legal limit for driving, when she crashed her sport-utility vehicle on northbound Interstate 35E near Lone Oak Road in Eagan.
Witnesses told state troopers they saw Balsimo's vehicle swerve to the right, then lose control and roll over four times. Her passenger, Brenda Perez Lafarga, 27, was thrown from the vehicle. She was not wearing a seat belt, investigators said. Balsimo, who was belted in, received minor injuries.
"These girls were best friends for almost nine years," said defense attorney Ira Whitlock. "It's a big loss for her and for Brenda's family. She knows she's criminally responsible and has to pay the price."
PAT PHEIFER