Guilty of Drunk Driving : Jurors Acquit Driver, 22, of Manslaughter

A 22-year-old Hidden Hills man who drove his van into a car on Calabasas Road in June, killing a 19-year-old fashion model, Monday was acquitted of a charge of vehicular manslaughter but was convicted of drunk driving.

“How could you get off with such a thing?” the dead woman’s father, Ted Inouye, said sobbingly upon hearing the jury’s verdict. The prosecutor in the case embraced the shaken Inouye in an effort to help him stand up.

A Van Nuys Superior Court jury deliberated two days before returning the verdict against Evan D. Haller, a part-time horse trainer.

Maximum 1-Year Term

Had he been convicted of vehicular manslaughter, Haller could have received a prison sentence of eight years, prosecutor Deborah S. Elliot said. He now could be given a maximum jail term of one year.

The model, Jill Inouye, died of internal injuries at the scene of the accident, which occurred on Calabasas Road near the entrance to the Ventura Freeway.

Haller admitted during the two-week trial that he had been drinking at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game before the accident. A test showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14%; a level of 0.1% is considered evidence of intoxication. The jury found him guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol and having a blood-alcohol level of 0.1% or above.

Father Also Injured

Also in the car with Jill Inouye at the time of the accident were her parents and brother. Her father, Ted Inouye, suffered five broken ribs and a punctured lung, according to court testimony.

Throughout the trial, Haller contended that a flat tire had caused his van to swerve out of control and ram into Inouye’s automobile.

Prosecutors had argued that Haller was operating his van in a grossly negligent manner, which they said warranted a conviction on the vehicular manslaughter charge.

According to records, Haller had been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol three months earlier and was driving on a restricted driver’s license when the fatal accident occurred.

As he left the courtroom, Ted Inouye, supported in walking by his family, pointed a finger at Haller’s attorney, Howard Lowe, and cried, “How can you defend him?”

He shouted to Haller: “You jerk, you bastard! You’re going to have to live with yourself!”

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge James A. Albracht set May 29 for Haller’s sentencing.