Woman sentenced for fatally striking boyfriend with car in Las Vegas
A woman received a 12 to 35-year prison sentence Tuesday for killing her boyfriend with a car after a domestic dispute about tampons.
Julie Bush, 31, pleaded guilty in March to counts of voluntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of fentanyl resulting in death in connection with the collision that killed Richard Penardo, 51.
District Judge Carli Kierny followed plea negotiations, which specified an eight- to 20-year sentence on the manslaughter charge and that prosecutors would not argue for more than six to 15 years for the DUI count, according to court records and a court spokesperson.
Police said Bush reported discovering another woman’s tampons in Penardo’s trash. She confronted him and he tried to convince her they belonged to her, she told officers.
Metro said Bush entered her car and Penardo swung a chain at it. She claimed he broke her windows and that she put the car in drive, “forgot she had the steering wheel cranked all the way to the right” and struck Penardo, who died a day after the crash.
Chief Deputy Special Public Defender Lisa Chamlee-Brainard said in a sentencing memorandum that Penardo and Bush were both “under the influence of controlled substances.” Bush left the vehicle after hitting him and tried to help him, she said.
“Video footage of the incident clearly shows that Julie was overwrought with emotion and obviously remorseful for her actions,” Chamlee-Brainard wrote. “Julie has continued to feel remorse while incarcerated at CCDC and takes full accountability for her actions. However, Julie’s longstanding struggles with mental health and substance abuse are a significant factor in the tragic circumstances surrounding this case.”
Bush’s attorney said her client endured a traumatic childhood and began using alcohol at age 9, ecstasy at 11 and prescription drugs at 13.
Penardo previously spent time in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, forgery, insurance fraud and accessory to a felony, according to court records.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
