Man who allegedly struck, killed 12-year-old boy in DUI collision in Costa Mesa charged with murder

Orange County prosecutors announced Tuesday that a man alleged of being intoxicated when he struck and killed a 12-year-old boy riding his bicycle near Costa Mesa’s TeWinkle Park on Sunday has been charged with murder.

Richard Lavalle, 59, of Long Beach faces one count of murder for the death of Noel Bascon, who was riding bicycles with his father at around 5:55 p.m. Sunday near the juncture of Junipero and Arlington drives.

The riders had pulled into the crosswalk when Lavalle, who was reportedly driving a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck eastbound on Arlington, failed to stop at a stop sign and struck Noel, Costa Mesa police said.

A witness to the incident tried to resuscitate the boy, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Police and paramedics arrived on scene, but Noel later died in a nearby hospital, Costa Mesa Police Department spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said Monday.

Lavalle was booked on suspicion of murder, driving under the influence and a parole violation. His passenger, Lee Anna Diaz Murphy, 56, of Artesia, was arrested for possession of controlled substances and unlawful paraphernalia.

The Orange County district attorney’s office, in a release issued Tuesday, said Lavalle was previously convicted of driving under the influence in San Diego County in 2013. That previous DUI conviction allowed prosecutors to file murder charges related to Sunday’s incident.

Lavalle now faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

“The unimaginable pain that this family is being forced to endure because of the selfish decision of a stranger is unconscionable,” Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer said in Tuesday’s release.

“I am sick and tired of my prosecutors having to go to court to file murder charges against repeat drunk and drugged drivers who have been warned about the consequences – sometimes multiple times,” he said. “Taking a Sunday bike ride with your dad shouldn’t equate to a death sentence.”

A friend of Noel’s grandmother started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the boy’s family. As of Wednesday afternoon, close to $19,000 had been raised.

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