Woman faces murder charge after car accident in Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A Santa Maria woman faces murder charges after causing a fatal crash on Highway 101 on Sept. 8.

Kendra Cordova, a 34-year-old woman from Santa Maria, drove her Mazda on the wrong side of the road and killed a woman while seriously injuring her husband.

According to the Santa Barbara Superior Court, Cordova is also charged with two counts of drunken driving causing personal injury.

On September 10, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau publicly identified the woman as 53-year-old Alma Alcorta of Santa Maria.

According to Noozhawk, a warrant was issued for Cordova's arrest on September 18 without the possibility of bail because she had been drinking at an event in Los Alamos just hours before the accident.

This marked the third fatal accident in 24 hours in Santa Barbara County, the SBCFD reported.

Highway 101 was closed because of the accident and the wrong-way driver, the SBCFD said.

Alcorta's family is raising money for medical bills and you can donate here.