A Los Osos woman, previously convicted of killing a bicyclist while driving drunk, faces up to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to a new charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
On October 31, 2021, Gianna Brencola, 23, was arrested in Morro Bay after hitting several parked cars. Authorities said her blood alcohol level was 0.32, more than three times the legal limit for driving.
Brencola is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on January 30. According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, the DUI charge carries a maximum sentence of three years but could be doubled because her previous conviction qualifies as a strike under California's Three Strikes sentencing law.
In August 2017, Brencola struck and killed Cal Poly student Kennedy Love as he was riding his bicycle on Foothill Blvd. in San Luis Obispo. Brencola, who was 17 at the time, fled the scene and was arrested at her home several hours later. According to police, her BAC was above 0.15 percent even hours after the collision.
Brencola was convicted of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit and run, and she was sentenced to seven years in prison. However, she was released less than two years later due to her participation in a community re-entry program while in prison.
