CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Brandon Portillo will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of causing the crash that killed Corpus Christi Police Department Officer Alan McCollum.
After four days of testimony during the trial's punishment phase, Portillo was sentenced to life in prison and a $10,000 fine on the first count — intoxication manslaughter causing the death of a peace officer. He also received separate sentences of 90 years in prison with $10,000 fines on each of the two counts of intoxication assault.
The 28-year-old will serve his sentences concurrently, and will be eligible for parole in 30 years.
Portillo was convicted last Friday on one count of intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer in the Jan. 31, 2020, crash that killed McCollum.
Portillo was also found guilty on two counts of intoxication assault of a peace officer for the injuries of former CCPD officer Michael Love and senior officer Kiyomi Muniz.
Witness testimony in the punishment phase of the trial began on Monday and continued into Tuesday.
Former Corpus Christi officer Michael Love's wife Lauren took the stand Tuesday morning, describing the impact of her husband's injuries on their family.
McCollum's daughter Carissa was in tears, as she told the jury her life will never be the same without her father.
The state's last witness during this phase, police chief Mike Markle, took the stand reflecting on the loss of officer McCollum.
Brandon Portillo also took the stand and told jurors about his problems with alcohol and the consequences of his actions the night of the crash.
"I caused Alan McCollum to pass away and I hurt officer Love. I also hurt Kiyomi Muniz. I destroyed all of their families," Portillo said.
In cross examination, Portillo agreed with District Attorney Mark Gonzalez that the only way to keep the community safe is for Portillo to stay behind bars.
Digital content producers Myra Sanchez and Ana Tamez contributed to this story.
