A 64-year-old Long Beach man who caused a drug-fueled collision in Costa Mesa that killed a 12-year-old boy was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 5, to 30 years to life in prison.

An Orange County Superior Court jury earlier this year convicted Richard David Lavalle of second-degree murder for the Dec. 6, 2020, collision at Junipero and Arlington drives that killed Noel Bascon.

Lavalle’s sentence was increased due to a criminal history that includes a federal bank robbery conviction in 2009 and a robbery conviction in 2018. Lavalle was also convicted of a DUI in San Diego County Superior Court, according to court filings, and was warned that if he continued to drink and drive and caused someone’s death he could be charged with murder.

Lavalle was driving a U-Haul pickup eastbound on Arlington

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