Judge denies motion for former officer

Former Coral Springs Police officer Peter Munoz accused of driving drunk when he hit, killed Jennifer Gutierrez

Peter Munoz

MIAMI – A judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against a former Coral Springs Police officer who is accused of driving drunk when he hit and killed a woman in a 2011 crash.

An attorney for Peter Munoz argued that he was changing lanes when he hit Jennifer Gutierrez, 23, on LeJeune Road in Coral Gables on July 16, 2011.

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But the judge denied the motion, and set a trial date for May 6.

Photos of the aftermath of the crash were released six months later.

Munoz, an off-duty Coral Springs officer at the time, was behind the wheel of the other car. He gave his story to investigators in audio recordings. 

"She just -- the vehicle jumped into my lane and I had no chance to react. All I remember is making impact and the aftermath after," Munoz said. 

Investigators would later find out that Munoz had been drinking and had a blood alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit. 

"I don't think I had a chance to hit my brakes because it was that sudden, out of nowhere," Munoz said on the tape. 

Drugs were also found in Gutierrez's system. But detectives blamed the off-duty officer's drinking and speeding. 

"He should pay for what he did," Gutierrez's mother said.

A status hearing for Munoz was scheduled for April 26.