Fresno, CA — The court case for charges of hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter is nearing an end as Dr. James Comazzi entered a plea of no contest to one count of hit and run resulting in permanent injury or death and vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
Comazzi will return to court for sentencing June 10, 2026.
The plea was entered in Fresno County Superior Court last week during a continuation of a preliminary hearing. Preliminary hearings happen after an arraignment when a case is not settled by attorneys or dismissed by a judge. At the hearing, the judge is focused on deciding whether there is enough evidence against Dr. Comazzi, and if so, it would go to a jury trial at a later date.
The high-profile case against the longtime cardiologist of Tuolumne County began in 2021. The crime occurred in Fresno County, when Juliana Ramos, a 26-year-old nurse, pulled her vehicle over on Highway 99 to assist a victim of a traffic accident. She was struck and killed by a vehicle passing through the area. After a multi-month investigation, and an anonymous tip to Valley Crime Stoppers, Dr. Comazzi surrendered himself at the Fresno CHP office as the alleged suspect in October of 2021 as detailed here.
In December of 2021, Dr. Comazzi, who was 68, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. In January of 2022, a Fresno Judge denied a request by the state medical board to restrict his medical license. Information released about the case has been limited. Central Sierra Broadcasting reached out to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office Spokesperson Taylor Long who confirmed, “The sentencing is set for June 10th in Dept. 32 at 1:30 p.m.”
