Driver who hit and killed SLO couple and their dog pleads guilty to manslaughter

The man who police say was speeding and texting when he hit and killed a San Luis Obispo couple just before Thanksgiving 2022 pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter on Tuesday.

Daniel Saligan Patricio, 24, admitted to striking Matthew Chachere, 39, and Jennifer Besser, 36, with his car on Nov. 21, 2022.

Chachere and Besser were found dead the next day under dense brush near the intersection of Sacramento Drive and Basil Lane, several hours after police received a report of a dead dog in the creekbed.

Family members had reported them missing after they failed to arrive in Modesto for a holiday gathering. The two both worked for E.&J. Gallo Winery and had recently moved to San Luis Obispo.

The couple, who had been together for 11 years, were honored in October with a memorial plaque on the bridge where they died.

The responding officer testified in the preliminary hearing that he found no evidence of the couple being hit at the time of the crash.

Detectives testified that Saligan Patricio had admitted to drinking alcohol earlier that day and was texting and driving. Data pulled from his car showed he hit Chachere and Besser at 61 miles per hour.

The responding officer to the scene also testified Saligan Patricio did not appear to be under the influence and did not smell like alcohol at the scene.

Both the defense and prosecution agreed the statements in the preliminary hearing transcript and most recent charge sheet were factual.

Saligan Patricio faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in state prison.

But in order for him to receive the maximum sentence, at least one aggravating factor must be found true.

Aggravating factors are typically included in charge sheets for serious felonies. There are 17 possible factors that can be alleged for serious crimes.

San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker alleged the following two aggravating factors apply in this case: The crime involved great bodily injury, and the victims of the crime were particularly vulnerable.

2 SLO residents and their dog found dead in creekbed

Saligan Patricio’s attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, argued none of the aggravating factors are true in the case.

Baker argued that while great bodily injury may already be covered in the vehicular manslaughter counts, the agency was not willing to drop the vulnerable victims factor.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Michael Frye ruled the probation office could recommend any aggravating factors they see fit in Saligan Patricio’s pre-sentencing report. From there, the parties will decide whether the factors will be admitted, dismissed or put through to a trial.

The pre-sentencing report is scheduled to be received on April 2. Saligan Patricio’s sentencing is scheduled for April 9.

The guilty plea to both vehicular manslaughter charges count as two strikes under Califronia’s Three Strike’s law, Frye said. This means if Saligan Patricio were to be convicted of another qualifying crime, he could automatically face 25 years to life in state prison.