Karlie Tomica Was Legally Drunk During Fatal Hit-And-Run On South Beach, Faces 2nd Lawsuit

Test Results Are In

MIAMI BEACH -- She was as drunk as a witness described.

Blood alcohol test results shows Nikki Beach bartender Karlie Tomica was three times over the limit when she plowed into Shore Club executive chef Stefano Riccioletti and kept driving.

Miami Beach Police told The Huffington Post the 20-year-old self-proclaimed "party princess" will now appear in court Friday to be charged with DUI manslaughter.

Riccioletti, a father of three, died at the scene in the wee hours of January 28 on Collins Avenue near 18th Street. His son Jacopo sued both Tomica and the nightclub last Thursday, alleging Nikki Beach operators allowed Tomica to consume alcohol underage and on the job before driving home drunk.

The Miami Herald reports Riccioletti's widow, Patrizia Pesce, has filed a second lawsuit against Tomica, Nikki Beach Hotels, the club's owners Penrod Brothers, and Nikki Beach Special Events.

The club is named for the daughter of founder Jack Penrod, who was killed by a drunk driver just weeks before her high school graduation.

A good samaritan who witnessed the crash called police as he followed Tomica home. "She must have killed him," he told a 911 operator as he futilely tried to coax Tomica to pull over. When she finally arrived home, he told NBC Miami, she appeared "very drunk" and could hardly stand.

Pending blood test results, Tomica was initially charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident and bonded out of jail on $10,000. Random Pixels reports that she has retained high-profile local attorney Mark Shapiro.

"Ms. Tomica and her entire family are heartbroken over this tragic accident. Their thoughts and prayers are with the Riccioletti family," Shapiro said in a statement to the Herald.

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