A sister’s heartbreak filled a Fresno County Courtroom on Tuesday as Juliet Nuccio remembered Andres Adrian Romero.
“We lost my brother, Andres Adrian Romero, to an avoidable, horrific fatal car crash,” Nuccio said.
As she spoke, her brother’s killer looked on.
Joey Barron will now spend up to life in prison for murder.
Prosecutors say Barron was driving drunk in January 2021 when he crashed on Highway 168 near the Shields offramp in Central Fresno.
Romero was a passenger in Barron’s car. He died one month after turning 30.
“There’s no more birthdays to share and celebrate with him,” Nuccio said.
“No more gifts to give to him. No more singing songs in the car and going to the movies.”
Court records reveal Barron’s blood-alcohol was four times the legal limit.
He did not have an active driver’s license.
Barron’s record includes several criminal and traffic cases dating back 15 years.
In 2016, prosecutors charged him with DUI.
That case was still ongoing when the 2021 crash happened.