Kayla Mendoza enters not guilty plea in fatal wrong-way crash

Driver wrote '2 drunk 2 care' on Twitter hours before crash

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A woman accused of driving the wrong way on the Sawgrass Expressway and slamming into another car head-on, killing two women inside, has pleaded not guilty.

Kayla Mendoza sat in a wheelchair at her arraignment Tuesday. Her attorney was not present but entered the written plea on her behalf.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a toxicology report shows Mendoza had a blood-alcohol level of .15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent, and traces of marijuana in her system when her car slammed into another car, killing Marisa Catronio and Kaitlyn Nicole Ferrante.

Mendoza, 21, wrote "2 drunk 2 care" on Twitter just hours before the November 2013 crash that killed the 21-year-old women.

Court documents filed in a civil lawsuit against Mendoza show she spent about $65 on alcohol before the crash, even though she was underage.

Mendoza was shackled at the wrists with some blankets over her legs in the courtroom. She suffered fractures to her femur, fibula and tibia in the crash.

The next court hearing for Mendoza is scheduled for July 11.


About the Author:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.