Santa Barbara Remembers Mallory Dies
Hundreds Gather to Bid Farewell to DUI Hit-and-Run Victim
With their backs to a late-afternoon sun dipping into the white-capped ocean and casting a cool glow on the mountains ahead, hundreds of mourners gathered Tuesday at Shoreline Park to remember Mallory Dies.
They talked about a quick-witted and rambunctious little girl toughened up by two brothers, who grew into a cheerleader and sorority sister inspired by history and politics and cherished by countless people in Santa Barbara and beyond. The 27-year-old was sweet and brave and funny, her dad said, recalling her “little snort” of laughter he loved so much and damning the “preventable plague” that took her away.
Dies was hit by a drunk driver just after midnight on December 6 as she crossed Anacapa Street with a group of friends. She suffered severe head trauma in the collision and was taken off life support five days later. The driver, Raymond Morua, fled the scene and was arrested a few blocks away when he crashed his car. Police said his blood-alcohol level at the time was more than twice the legal limit.
