By Gerry Shih
Special to the Daily Press

LOS ANGELES A 24-year-old man — in the country illegally — pleaded no contest Wednesday to charges that he killed film director Robert Clark and his 22-year-old son, a SMC student, while driving drunk on the PCH in April.

Hector Velazquez-Nava, of Mexico, submitted his plea to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated at the Airport Superior Court, admitting to being behind the wheel when his sport utility vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic, killing Clark, 67, and his son Ariel.

The plea was entered before Velazquez-Nava’s preliminary hearing, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office confirmed.

Velazquez-Nava had previously pleaded not guilty following the crash and faced a maximum of 12 years in state prison if convicted. By changing his plea, he now faces six years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 27.

Police records indicated that Velazquez-Nava was driving a GMC Yukon on April 4 along the Pacific Coast Highway with a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 — three times the California legal limit — when he swerved and crashed into a 1997 Infiniti Q30, driven by Clark. The father and son were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, and Velazquez-Nava and his passenger, 29-year-old Lidia Mora, sustained minor injuries.

Police said the defendant did not have documentation of legal U.S. residency or a U.S. driver’s license, A hold has been placed by immigration authorities, who said that Velazquez-Nava will likely be deported.

“The fact that he is the subject of a detainer means that he is deportable,” said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Once the local law enforcement agencies’ custodial duties are finished, we will take custody and put him in a formal removal process.”

Velazquez-Nava previously lived in Los Angeles, and was on two years’ probation after pleading guilty in 2005 to a prostitution-related charge in LA, according to reports.

Clark was well-known for having directed and produced “Porky’s” and “Porky’s II: The Next Day,” two cult favorites that effectively launched the teen sex comedy genre. He also directed the holiday-season classic “A Christmas Story” in 1983 and “Loose Cannons,” starring Gene Hackman, in 1990.

His son, Ariel, was considered a promising jazz musician studying at Santa Monica College.

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