Man sentenced for Carson City road rage death

CARSON CITY — A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for what prosecutors call the road-rage death of a teenager in Carson City.

Under the sentence imposed Wednesday by Carson District Judge James Wilson, Leonardo Cardoza will have to serve at least 29 years before he’s eligible for parole.

In March, he was convicted of first-degree murder in the Jan. 26, 2013, death of 19-year-old Desiree Bragg.

Deputies say Bragg was riding in a car driven by her fiance when they noticed a van tailgating close behind. They pulled into Bragg’s mother’s driveway and got out of the car.

Deputies say that’s when the van driver accelerated into Bragg, causing multiple injuries. She was taken to a Reno hospital, where she died four days later.

Cardoza attorney Allison Joffee plans to appeal, saying he was so drunk he was incapable of forming the intent needed for a premeditated murder conviction.