BATON ROUGE ' The Committee on Parole denied Leslie Maguez's request for parole on July 23, after family members of the person killed in the crash addressed the panel and officials reviewed her record and programming history.
Maguez, DOC number 616023, is serving a long sentence for vehicle homicide; the board noted she has served about seven and a half years of what the panel described as a 25-year sentence and has a projected good-time release date of July 28, 2026.
The victim's mother, Melissa Fritz, told the panel she is "completely against" Maguez's release and said the crash was not an accident but a consequence of driving while "completely obliterated." Fritz said she had been told at sentencing that Maguez would receive maximum penalty "with no chance of parole" and urged the board not to shorten the sentence. The victim's sister, Sarah Sarudi, said she was present when family members told three children that their mother had died and that the children continue to grieve.
Maguez told the board she has participated in AA and substance-abuse-related classes and has worked in a community work-release assignment at a Subway for more than a year. The board recorded that she had 'no write-ups' in the facility and that institutional staff said she has shown good behavior.
Panel members cited the seriousness of the offense, the applicant's prior DWI history and the lack of in-prison treatment for some needs as reasons to deny parole. Chairman Prater said he would vote to deny and emphasized the need for "some real treatment, some in house treatment" before reconsideration. Carolyn Stapleton recorded that Maguez had shown "deliberate indifference towards public safety" and noted opposition from the DA and sheriff. The vote to deny was unanimous and was recorded at 10:02 a.m.
Board members encouraged Maguez to continue programming while incarcerated and suggested facility staff explore victim-awareness or treatment courses where available. The board made no motion to reopen the case at the hearing.