Woman killed Cal Poly student in a drunken hit-and-run. She just got arrested for DUI again
Four years after she was convicted of killing a Cal Poly student in a drunken hit-and-run, a Los Osos woman is now accused of hitting several parked cars while driving under the influence again.
Gianna Brencola, who received a seven-year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter in the death of Kennedy Love in 2017, is alleged to have hit four parked cars on Oct. 31, 2021, while driving with a blood alcohol content nearly four times the legal limit.
According to a redacted police report, the 22-year-old hit the cars near 725 Embarcadero in Morro Bay. The Morro Bay Police Department confirmed to The Tribune that her blood alcohol content was above 0.3.
She was arrested that night and is currently in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail. She is charged with two felony DUIs within 10 years of a vehicular manslaughter with an enhancement from the prior conviction. The charges are for one normal felony DUI and one felony DUI above 0.08% BAC.
Brencola entered not guilty pleas to both charges on Feb. 28.
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Brencola served time in jail and prison
Brencola hit and killed Love, a Cal Poly student, while he was riding his bicycle along Foothill Boulevard near Ferrini Road on Aug. 28, 2017. She was 17 at the time.
After the crash, witnesses said, the vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot, where two women got out and examined the damage before getting back in the car and driving off, according to previous Tribune reporting. The vehicle was discovered abandoned on Tassajara Drive.
Brencola allegedly admitted to investigators that she was driving the vehicle that struck Love, and that she had been drinking alcohol earlier that night. Court records said she had a 0.15 percent blood alcohol content level roughly five hours after the crash.
At the time of her sentencing, Brencola had 464 days of custody credits, and also had to pay roughly $11,840 in restitution and court fines.
The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the Tribune that Brencola was released from SLO County Jail on June 4, 2018 — about two months after she was sentenced. She was then sent to Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and was released on parole on Dec. 18, 2019, the District Attorney’s Office confirmed. On March 16, 2021, she was released from parole, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Because vehicular manslaughter is not considered a violent crime in California, Brencola received half credit for her sentence because she maintained good behavior. Additionally, she was also placed in a re-entry program that allowed her to work a job outside of prison.
Dee Dee Love, Kennedy Love’s mother, told the Tribune she feels Brencola was not held accountable appropriately if she chose to drive drunk again.
“You would think that knowing that you could kill somebody for making these choices would be enough of a deterrent to do it again,” Love said. “But I think that because her sentence was so reduced, she does not see it as enough of a deterrent.”
“Most people think that you do something like this in your life. You’ll be you know, your life is ruined, meaning her life is ruined as well. And that’s clearly not the case,” Love said.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article did not include Brencola’s prison term. It has been updated.
