RIVERSIDE - The defense rested today in the trial of a thrice- convicted drunken driver whose SUV plowed into a car that immediately caught fire, killing the driver.

Juan Antonio Covarrubias could face 15 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder in the March 31, 2012, death of 43-year-old Gyla Walters.

Testimony in the trial began a week ago. The prosecution rested Friday, and defense attorney Adam Koppekin called his last witness this afternoon.

Anthony Rodriguez, Covarrubias's former supervisor at Coast Auto Insurance, testified that the defendant was "an outstanding employee."

Rodriguez said he was aware of Covarrubias's prior DUI convictions but none of that changed his opinion of the 31-year-old. According to the witness, he somewhat sympathized with Covarrubias because he, too, had been convicted of driving while intoxicated.

Rodriguez said he shared his experiences about undergoing court-ordered rehab, and Covarrubias "seemed receptive to what I was telling him."

The defense maintains the fatal crash that killed Walters was an act of vehicular manslaughter -- not murder.

A manslaughter conviction carries the possibility of probation but could also result in a four-year prison sentence.

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Amy Barajas last week told jurors that Covarrubias flagrantly disobeyed the law and violated the terms of probation from his earlier DUI conviction by binge drinking and then driving more than 50 miles on the morning of the wreck.

"The defendant had a record of DUI offenses, all of which he pled guilty to," Barajas said. "Every time he pled guilty, he was warned of the dangers of drinking and driving. Yet he still made selfish choices that ended this woman's life."

The prosecutor alleged the defendant consumed beer for several hours with friends in Anaheim, where he resided, then headed to a Advertisement

[ Metalography ] house party in Perris, staying until nearly dawn the following day.

"People told him not to drive home, but he didn't care," Barajas told jurors.

She said Covarrubias' blood-alcohol level was .19 -- more than twice the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle in California -- an hour after his arrest.

The defendant was in his 2005 Range Rover, intending to return home, around the same time Walters was going home after working an overnight shift at a DHL plant in Redondo Beach. She was stopped at the intersection of the Ramona Expressway and Evans Road, going east on the expressway, less than two miles from her house, according to court papers.

Covarrubias approached from behind in his SUV, weaving across lanes, never slowing as he reached the intersection and slammed into the back of the victim's Mazda Protege, Barajas said.

The impact ignited a fire in the Protege's fuel tank, the prosecutor said.

"Gyla burned alive," she said.

Covarrubias attempted to flee the scene, offering one motorist $500, according to witnesses.

Koppekin argued that his client was not exceeding the speed limit on the four-lane road, and that the post-collision fire was not the result of Covarrubias striking the Mazda's fuel tank.

"A Chevy Silverado pickup truck drove by with a chain dangling from the rear, causing sparks on the surface of the road," the attorney said. "There was a trail of gas from the impact point that ignited."

The attorney pointed out that Covarrubias immediately admitted his culpability for the crash to authorities.

Covarrubias, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, has three prior misdemeanor DUI convictions, according to court records. He was on probation at the time of the fatal crash.