A substance-abuse counselor who struck a pedestrian with her car and drove through Torrance with the dying man on her windshield was sentenced Thursday to 55 years to life in prison.

Sherri Lynn Wilkins, 53, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of second-degree murder, driving under the influence and hit-and-run.

Prosecutors said Wilkins’ blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit when she struck 31-year-old Phillip Moreno in November 2012 as she was leaving a counseling center in Torrance. She drove two miles before other motorists were able to swarm her car at a traffic light at Crenshaw Boulevard and 182nd Street and keep her there until police arrived.

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She claimed she was “self-medicating” while waiting for knee-replacement surgery and had consumed three single-serving bottles of vodka and a can of Budweiser beer and Clamato before starting to drive.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20140612/torrance-substance-abuse-counselor-sherri-lynn-wilkins-gets-55-to-life-for-killing-pedestrian-stuck-in-windshield