Portland, OR- A Portland woman who drove drunk and killed another person when she crashed into the car they were riding in, will spend the next seven and a half years in prison.
60-year-old Rosa Victalina Hitzfeld pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Assault in the Third Degree and Driving while under the influence of an intoxicant. Ms. Hitzfield had two prior DUII convictions, and one prior DUII diversion.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jenna Plank sentenced Hitzfeld to 90 months total in prison.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Gery Fiebich, who served as the lead investigator on this case.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would also like to recognize MCDA victim advocate Allison Miller for the care and concern they showed to the victims in this case.
Deputy District Attorney Andrew Wood prosecuted the case for the state. After the sentencing he said: “This was an extremely tragic and difficult incident for the Abbate family to process. The Abbate’s lost a loved one at the hands of a drunk driver, yet they showed a tremendous amount of strength throughout the process and compassion for the defendant. I hope that the sentence imposed by Judge Plank provides the Abbate family with a sense that justice has been served.”
THE FACTS:
On October 13, 2024, at about 9 PM, defendant Rosa Hitzfield drove the wrong way down Fairview parkway at with a blood alcohol level of approximately point-18. Defendant made the turn onto Fairview Parkway from Glisan. Per a review of traffic cameras in the area, the defendant cut the turn short of the center median, and proceeded down the wrong direction of travel on Fairview. The defendant made it to a slight bend in Fairview pkwy, when the defendant struck a vehicle driven by Michael Abbate. Michael Abbate had his wife Vicki Abbate in the right front passenger seat, and his mother Marcia Abbate in the rear passenger seat. Marcia Abbate passed away due to injuries sustained in the crash.