A man who drove under the influence, struck and killed a pedestrian in National City and then fled was convicted this week of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other charges, but jurors could not reach a verdict on a murder charge he faced.
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Jamal Lee, 28, was found guilty by a Chula Vista Superior Court jury for the killing of Tina Smith, 54, on March 8, 2025. She was struck just after 2 a.m. on East Plaza Boulevard, near Interstate 805.
A prosecution trial brief states Lee worked at a local bar. He had been drinking there for nearly five hours after his shift ended before getting behind the wheel on the night of the crash.
He took the freeway to get to his home in National City. After exiting, he hit Smith as she was crossing East Plaza Boulevard, prosecutors said. She died at the scene.
Prosecutors wrote that another motorist on East Plaza Boulevard was nearly struck by Lee’s car, so they followed him to his home and then contacted police.
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Tests revealed his blood-alcohol content was 0.186% at the time, more than two times the legal driving limit in California, according to the prosecution’s brief.
Jurors rendered the guilty verdicts Monday on most of the charges filed against him. But Tuesday, they announced they were hopelessly deadlocked on the murder count. Jurors voted 8-4 on the murder count in favor of guilt.
Lee did not have a prior DUI conviction but was arrested in San Diego on suspicion of DUI after crashing into two parked cars in 2023, according to prosecutors.
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