Driver who allegedly hit and killed ex-Modesto couple in SLO is charged with manslaughter

The driver who police say hit and killed two San Luis Obispo residents days before they were due in Modesto for Thanksgiving has been arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Daniel Angel Saligan Patricio was arrested Monday on two felony charges of vehicular manslaughter. The charges were signed by Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth on Feb. 24 and filed Monday.

According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo Police Department, detectives contacted Saligan Patricio at his place of employment a 1:15 p.m. and arrested him without incident.

Saligan Patricio is suspected of hitting and killing Matthew Chachere, 39, and Jennifer Besser, 36, on Nov. 21 while the couple were out walking their dog. The next day, Chachere and Besser were found under dense brush near the intersection of Sacramento Drive and Basil Lane, several hours after police received a report of a dead dog in the creekbed.

Family members had been expecting the two to arrive in Modesto and provided the San Luis Obispo Police Department with photos of Chachere, Besser and their dog.

According to police, Saligan Patricio, 24, was traveling in the 3400 block of Sacramento Drive when he lost control of his vehicle and fatally struck the couple and their dog. Patricio’s vehicle hit the curb, a street sign and the bridge that spans the creek, police said.

Speed was likely a factor in the crash, according to police.

Chachere and Besser both worked for E.&J. Gallo Winery, which is headquartered in Modesto but has operations on the Central Coast and in other wine regions. According to LinkedIn, Chachere was a workforce development specialist and Besser was a senior planning analyst.

Chachere also had coached football at Davis and Ceres high schools in Stanislaus County.

He and Besser moved to their most current San Luis Obispo apartment this past summer, according to a neighbor and the leasing agent at the property.

“We appreciate the patience of the community while we worked towards providing important answers to family members and our community in pursuit of justice,” San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott said in the release. “We have been in close communication with the families of the victims throughout this difficult process and hope that they get the justice they seek and the closure they need.”

As of late Monday afternoon Saligan Patricio was still in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail, with bail set at $200,000.

This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 4:57 PM.