Deadly bicycle crash trial continues Monday

A landscaper accused of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter related to a fatal Newport Beach bicycle crash over the summer will be back in court Monday to stand trial.

Jose Luis Huerta Mundo, 38, pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving without a license, but chose to take the manslaughter charge to a jury. Opening statements in the trial were Wednesday, with more proceedings scheduled for next week.

Police said Mundo was driving his landscaping truck on Spyglass Hill Road on July 15 when he made an illegal left turn, blocking the right lanes off a blind curve that cyclists were riding downhill.

One of the cyclists, Michael Nine, 43, of Santa Ana, couldn’t react to the truck in time and slammed into its rear head first. He died later of his injuries.

The trial will continue at 9 a.m. Monday at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach. Mundo is being held without bail due to an immigration hold for a possible immigration violation.

—Joseph Serna